.ront of one party or the other as it happens right now it is the republicans in congress, but imagine a republican president and the situation reversed. what you would need would be something like a newt gingrich nine bills on the calendar today, mostly noncontroversial. now live to the house floor. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., april 28, 2014. hereby appoint the honorable thomas petri to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. dear god, we give you thanks for giving us another day.

bless abundantly the members of this people's house as they return from a long recess. when millions of americans remembered who they were as men and women of faith. their prayers must certainly include hope that our nation's ongoing challenges might be met with wisdom and solutions forged by all those who represent them. during this season of new growth, may your redemptive power help those that have been elected by their fellow citizens to see new ways to productive service, fresh approaches to understanding each other, especially those across the aisle, and renewed commitment to solving the problems facing our nation. may they and may we all be transformed by your grace and better reflect a sense of

wonder, even joy, at the opportunities to serve that are ever before us. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. men. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson. everyone, including those in the gallery, please join in. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the

gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, in february, the president sadly announced his plan to terminate the mixed oxide fuel fabrication at the savannah river site. they blamed a cost estimate the reason to halt the construction. it halts environmental cleanup which is converting weapons grade plutonium into green fuel. south carolina and georgia are at risk of being a nuclear waste dump site, breaking a nonproliferation agreement with russia. this highly exaggerated cost was assessed and report that is close to the public. constituents living in aiken and barnwell counties deserve to know the truth. i am glad they filed a freedom of information act request in pursuit of the cost analysis. we should be working together

for environmental cleanup, for nonproliferation compliance and to support the savannah river site and its vital mission with dedicated employees. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida, ms. frankel, seek recognition? ms. frankel: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. frankel: mr. speaker, today on holocaust remembrance today, we solemnly reflect on the six million jews who were system @ically murdered by a mad man, known as hitler, and his nazi followers. we remember the children torn from the arms of their parents and they marched to the gas chambers. we remember the teenagers who were forced to dig their own graves. and we remember the men and

women who perished in labor camps from disease and starvation. this day is a tribute to the enduring memory of the destruction of humanity during the jewish holocaust. it is a forceful reminder for generations to come, never forget and never again. thank you and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: mr. thompson is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, today i rise to honor the united states army reserve which this week celebrates 106 years of service defending our country. for generations, the army reserve played an essential role in defense of this nation. these citizen soldiers are also

actively engaged citizens in everyday -- in every community throughout the country, and continue to be a true testament to america's all-volunteer armed forces. most reservists must strike a balance between family life, full-time employment and the growing demands of serving in our nation's professional army. this upcoming weekend i will have the honor of meeting with several army reserve units throughout pennsylvania to highlight the important role that these men and women play in our national defense but also our local communities. mr. speaker, i commend the army reserve for continuing to play an important role in defense of our great nation, and i rise to reiterate how very proud we are of these men and women and all they do to our country and to wish a special 106 birthday to our army reserve. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut, ms. esty, seek recognition? ms. esty: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

thank you, mr. speaker. last week connecticut broke ground on a new memorial to honor the 65 men and women who died serving our country in the war on terror. like all memorials, this beautiful place will serve both as a source of comfort for loved ones as well as a lasting reminder of the cost of freedom. that cost is measured in lives but also in promises kept. we have a duty to honor our veterans and support their families. that is why i am a proud author of the caregivers expansion and improvement act. my bill would assist home caregivers of all veterans injured during their service, allowing them to recover in the comfort of their own homes. i stand with the v.f.w. and the d.a.v. to do my part to ensure that we care and honor all those who so bravely serve our country.

i urge my colleagues to co-sponsor h.r. 3383, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess, seek recognition? mr. burgess: mr. speaker, i rise to ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, just late last week there was a news story that healthcare.gov was still not finished, the back end portion, the part that deals with payments to doctors and hospitals still has not been constructed. it was odd just because the week before the president held a press conference down at the white house and said mission, accomplished, everything we wanted to do has been done. how do you reconcile these discrepancies and what is in fact the timeline for this to be accomplished? mission, accomplished. i wonder if the patients, the doctors and the hospitals who are going to end up ones on the hook for these payments that are not going to be received, i

wonder if they feel the same way? i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the seek man from new york, recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to commemorate workers memorial day today which is today and honor those who lost their lives. from steel offices to nursing homes, we must work to strengthen safety measures for those who face hazards in the workplace. mr. maffei: agriculture, whether in a factory or farm, even one death on the job is too many in central new york we are seeing far too many farm workers being hurt and killed. two died in a single week recently. that's why i support the occupational occupational

ssafety and health administration program. we want to make sure that daries know the standard and have reasonable time to comply. on this workers memorial day, let's dedicate to make our farms safe workplaces and support osha's support. the speaker pro tempore: the following enrolled bill was signed by speaker pro tempore thornberry on thursday, april 10, 2014. the clerk: senate 2195, to deny mission to the -- admission to the united states to united nations who has found to be engaged in espionage activities or a terrorist activity against the united states and poses a threat to the united states national security interest. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the honorable --

the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on april 10, 2014, at 5:32 p.m., that the senate passed senate 994, signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on april 11, 2014, at 11:33 a.m. appointments -- national commission on hunger. signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, this is to notify you formally pursuant

rules of the he u.s. house of representatives that i have been served with a subpoena issued by the superior court for the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands. for both documents and testimony in a criminal case. after consultation with the office of general counsel, i will determine whether compliance of the subpoena is consistent with the privileges and rights of the house. -- gregorio ly killi can macho sablan. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, this is to notify you formally that i have been served by a subpoena issued by the united states district court for the eastern district of pennsylvania for estimony in a criminal case. after consultation of the office of general counsel, i will determine if the subpoena is consistent with the privileges and rights of the

house. signed sincerely, michelle lee, district of appropriations. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 4:00 p.m. today. >> house members are taking a break to allow their colleagues to return to washington after district work. legislative work is expected to start at 4 p.m. today. nine bills are on the agenda, including one seeking more transparency regarding federal spending. whenlife house coverage the gavel comes down here on c-span. >> when you are living in a world where you do not have monopolies, were you have multiple companies competing for a consumer for their options on tv, that really doesn't work when the laws were written for monopoly negotiation.

that is why the prices are still going up for your television video services and why they should be going down. lot ofe is a whole competition between different kinds of companies that didn't exist. it used to be that you watched tv or had a cable provider. now there is everything from cell phone companies offering cable services to satellite companies just doing it over your internet with everything else read there is a lot more consumer choice that consumers are aware of at the end of the day. we need to make sure there are not monopoly providers that engage in anti-competitive activities. >> what we are wanting to do is make sure the fcc releases all of their information in a timely manner. the we are going to go through an entire process of fcc approved forms this year. fcc reforms this year. they should focus on what they are doing with spectrum and

licensing. we don't want them getting off and -- getting off into net neutrality. that is security issues, those go to the fcc. to theime to get back core mission. >> members of congress are considering the session, tonight on the communicators. >> during this month, c-span is pleased to present our winning entries in this year's student cam documentary competition. annual competition that encourages middle and high school students to think critically about issues. the questions students aced their documentary on was what was the most important issue the u.s. congress should consider in 2014? ortiz, nina nandin, and

hood want congress to make mental illness a priority. , we attend anss art school in phoenix arizona. throughout the years we have encountered a handful of friends that have struggled with mental illnesses. throughout those years we have seen how a lack of support for treatment can result in devastating events, as well as emotional distress for those individuals and their families. andy name is felix schmidt i was diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder. hospital afterhe an episode, like an attack, sent me there. they diagnosed me there after five minutes or so of talking to me i.

i got out of the hospital and went from doctor to doctor, looking for someone who would actually listen. to find a over a year doctor that would listen. >> looking deeper into the topic of mental illness, we have discovered shocking statistics -- >> one into veterans commit suicide every single day as a result of these emotional problems -- >> emotional events -- >> when i take a look back at the tucson tragedy where i was was, congresswoman giffords shot, and 17 other people died, the man had been displaying it symptoms of mental illness for at least two years before that time. >> and the stigmas they create for our society. it feels like people just

don't pay any attention to them and just try to pretend they don't really exist. that kind of isolation really can make a problem worse in addition to being completely dehumanizing. stumble witho we resources but also a substantial absence of help for those that do struggle with mental illness. to what look back happened after the vietnam war, the veterans were very divided over the war. they were reviled and called baby killers. give -- what was even worse was they did not get the mental health treatment they needed. it is hard to get that help that you need to start working towards getting your self out of the rut it creates. goesth ptsd, the longer it

, the longer you let it go without any treatment and the more troubled person gets in the more isolation that they end up with in terms of being ostracized from society and alienated from friends and >> throughout this process we were able to find facilities that with theirns struggles. >> i am a 9.5 year army reserve veteran. currently i am an assistant dean of students here at university of arizona. vet center that is approximately 3800 square feet. it is entirely staffed by veterans transitioning into the university of americans on . it is a place for veterans to come and be around other veterans, other folks who have walked in the same boots they have walked in in the past. it is a hub of information for

our veterans to come find be in theirey may -- may need in their college career. >> i come and find people closer to my background. >> i was in the u.s.. i did two deployments in the two deployments. one in iraq in 2005 and one to afghanistan in 2008. any of us come home with issues, be they physical or mental. like this to get together with people who understand our expenses can help people out. >> it is also clear that this issue is an important one to our country. on december 10, 2013 $100 million was advocated in funding from and to health services and facilities. the money went to health centers expand services for those with

mental health and -- with mental illness and addiction. >> why talking to congress men ron barber we cite possible solution to educate and help those struggling with an introduction of the mental health first eight act. >> it tries to get at the issue of public awareness. people, parents, teachers, fellow students, friends, and these evil exhibit mental illness, they got through this fast. they will begin to understand through that experience what they're seeing when they are seeing it, with their symptoms might mean in terms of mental health issues and where they can get treatment. >> if these were things we were screening for, if childhood trauma was a thing you look for in schools and treated, you can save a lot of substance abuse, a lot of later violence, a lot of

later social problems. on the day we finished our obamapresident barack signed an ominous spending bill. to the a long way to go strongly encourage congress continue to provide funding for those struggling with mental illness and continued to allocate resources for those of -- for those in need. >> i want to be -- i don't want to be treated differently for it. >> to watch all of the winning videos and learn more about our competition, go to c-span.org and click on "student cam. and tell us what you think about the issues these students want congress to consider. poster comments on student cam's facebook page or tweet us.

israel spend the p stocks with palestine after the rolling palestine liberation organization announced a reconciliation deal with hamas. state secretary of william burns discussed some of the challenges in the conflict at the anti-defamation league international summit. this is about 90 minutes. >> most of us wake up in the morning and turned to see the daily news of our government's in bothe efforts israeli-palestinian peace efforts and talks with iran, aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program in both are facing -- weapons program.

both are facing impending deadlines. we are privileged to have four of washington's most respected thinkers and analysts on u.s. policy in the region. he served under secretary of state clinton as deputy assistant secretary of state, where she was central to organizing the u.s. government's response to the arab spring's. of -- the author of "how israelis and crossinians negotiate, a troll analysis of the peace process." director of -- at the washington institute.

an expert on arab and islamic apologists as well as u.s. middle east policy, he has written and spoken widely on the arab israeli peace process, and the need to revamp u.s. public diplomacy in the middle east. he is the author and editor of therous books, including battle of ideas on the war on terror. abrams, senior federal for middle eastern studies -- senior fellow for middle eastern studies. he held several important positions, including deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser where he supervised u.s. policy in the middle east. also an assistant secretary of state in the reagan administration and was the author of four books, including

undue process, security and the bush, and administration and the israeli-palestinian conflict. jeffrey goldberg has covered the middle east for bloomberg, the atlantic, and a staff writer of the new yorker and new york times magazine. taken him toge has afghanistan, to pakistan, where he lived for months. the he traveled and other egypt and to israel, gaza, and the west bank. -- he hasps interviewed president obama on policy numerous times. most recently in a widely read to our interview published on the eve of prime minister netanyahu recent visit to washington. we are also delighted to have the bureau chief of the jewish telegraph agency. ron covers these issues in the

halls of government day in and day out. and is must-read important to us in the jewish community. thank you all for being with us today. i turn it over to you. >> thank you. this is working. i appreciate the idea of starting things with a heap rest. -- with a deep breath. speaking of places that can use a few downward facing dog's, we are going to go to the middle east. the theme of our talks was going to be -- i talked about this with stacy who runs the washington office. why is iran simply working --

between u.s.alks and iran seemingly advancing while talks between u.s. and the palestinians are on the verge of collapse or at least in crisis? to start with the israeli-palestinian talks with the panelists. a it seems to be there is pattern. you sought in camp david and in .008 it becomes clear what agreement is going to look like and that is precisely the moment where the sides retreat from the agreement. her the past couple of weeks had these incredible expressions of frustration from all sides. yesterday you had john kerry reportedly saying that israel could be heading towards an apartheid state if it doesn't advance to a two state solution. what structurally is frustrating this process?

is it possibly not a solvable crisis. i thought i would start with elliott abrams. it might make sense for him to address it. for inviting me today. there is a structural problem. i will tell you what it is. the palestinians won't sign. of that is the strip drug problem. they got a very significant offer in the days when arafat was a leader. they got a more generous offer at the end of 2008. they can't get to yes. that is a structural problem. i would say it is not a matter of the details of this agreement. the president is ever going to sign anything.

othermore attentive for reasons to his internal political situation. we make this joke about being in the 90 or of his four-year term. this is probably the 10th time they have announced elections. the problem is we have continued under three presidents over the last 20 years to go for the -- the greater agreement on the white house lawn rather than building palestinian institutions from the ground up. we should stop pushing it so hard and turned to the hard work of building a palestinian state

that someday could be worth having. >> you work for a president who thought the palestinians could .et to yes maybe it wasn't possible at that time. can you get the palestinians to yes? >> thanks for the invitation. it's really a treat to be with you. tohink elliott is right focus on the domestic politics as the obstacle. i think that does not necessarily lead us to the conclusion that they will never sign. we had several failed rounds of negotiation with iran.

we worked hard for many years in multiple administrations to shift the incentive structure ultimately to shift domestic politics in a way that -- these negotiations i think what we have to look at is how put -- how to mystic politics might shift. i think a lot of work has been done to build those structures. it has suffered in the past year or so. part of the reason it has rolled back is because along with the institutions you need a political horizon. this institution building paradigm is that it will prepare palestinians for statehood and there will be a

political process alongside the institution building. what has happened is we have somehow let palestinian politics be frozen in place. this has all been frozen. if this reconciliation agreement goes forward, it will be a restarting of domestic politics that to some extent will be order to make israeli-palestinian negotiations more fruitful. >> the reconciliation is also -- your institute has written a lot about the horizon

and a lot about the institutions. can those two things be reconciled the echo can you have a hamas reconciliation on one hand with the peace process going on the other? >> let me thank everybody here for the work they do with abl. i am an enormous fan of abl. abl does a enormous work here and abroad. congratulations to everybody here. i think jeff and i have been honored by abl in the past. it has really been a privilege. you ask two different questions, first about the reconciliation agreement and second about top-down and bottom-up. yearsw on this for many is there is a choice, israelis make a choice, palestinians make a choice.

the choices between unity on one hand or progress on the other. you cannot have it both ways. you cannot have that. and also have progress toward peace. you can have one or the other. look at the israeli example. are pushed forward by one vote. he made a choice, you can like it or don't like it. it was a choice that involves leadership. you cannot have it both ways. leader whobe the leads to peace and the leader who leads to reconciliation. it will never happen. if you look at the 20 years that

elliott just spoke about, we never quite got it right. is we didexperience bottom-up very well until the big blip of the hamas election, which was a huge blip. of thethe second part second term we decided to go top-down. it was all top-down, no bottom-up. we never quite got this mix right. the people who suffered for it are the israelis and palestinians. it is never too late to do the right thing. we just have to get the mix right. >> is it possible? ken prime minister benjamin netanyahu defeat his right-wing and can the islamist wing be defeated?

how much longer is this administration going to beat up on this? how much longer are they going to put up with the battery they are taking? >> first of all let me not think the abl. enough already. there is obviously a split. the nsc staff blames a couple of things. to they believe kerry is accommodating. they also believe there really is no point, not only for the fact the doubt netanyahu possibility or willingness to

move forward, there was not a lot of doubt in investing time in the process. of john kerry is the most optimistic man in the world. i started in the traditional and save journalistic posture of the inning very cynical about his efforts. ofm still cynical about some the tactics and ideas but i am not cynical about the mp is doing this. i can say, without saying, that i know as of this weekend he still believes there are some hurdles you have to get over. it is somewhere in the middle between what the white house thinks and what john kerry thinks.

he really wants to let john kerry run with this. this week has been a moment where i think he's getting ready to tell kerry. seriously than for africa tomorrow. that is good from their perspective. very quickly on your two other points, i have heard this inside the u.s. government. he has an effective veto over what netanyahu does. sharon was in the unilateral engagement. he understood because he could bring a lot of people with him to form a new party that part of him -- i don't think they are under any illusions about who is going to follow him if he actually has to leave his party.

although massimo is a very nice man. -- he is a very nice man. i don't see any willingness or desire to do what roberts is talking about. if you want to get on the train, you get on the train, if you want to get off, you get off. retire as the unifier of the malice anime people -- of the palestinian people. >> john kerry does have a bit of a realist and him because he got himself a dog and all these processes were underway in washington. friends,n't have any just get yourself a dog. it is called diploma.

in that sense, in the absence of -- i am connecting your faithfulness to the government. in a sense of not immediately having horizon, in which you talk about the building from the what can be done the echo what are the modalities of building from the bottom up. >> i think the most serious inr-term challenge of us dealing with this reconciliation and the depth of the apparent impasse or near death experience is how they keep together the

really remarkable security cooperation. slightly less and still economic cooperation between israelis and when they are fighting in a totally dysfunctional and political relationship. that i we take every think everybody in this room takes for granted that by and --ge, it is five years now that by and large it has been five years now since almost no terror in the west bank. we forget what used to be like. there are three reasons why this is so. one because the idea still operates. let's not forget that. two, because hamas is not in the west bank.

and three, israeli-palestinian security cooperation. it's a fact. we shouldn't think everything is black or white. either they are talking or they are working together from the political level down to the street. that is not the way the world works. keep us together and find a way to continue to build upon what exists? when will that fall apart? that falls us when .part, that is much bigger this is serious. rob has hit on something very important, which is both israelis and palestinians and americans in the region now have to look at an environment on the ground

with no ongoing political process and ask what is going to happen next. security cooperation is down --l to tampering we have daily things happening. in numerous provocations, any one of which in an environment mightt political process cause further cooperation. we now have statements back and forth. that creates an environment in where it is more difficult to keep the peace in the way laws requiring read i think it is time to take a pause from and statements about

what comes next. i think it is a moment in which israelis and palestinians have to look at what they're future looks like without a negotiated peace. that is not something we can do for them. i fully expect this upcoming time will be one where palestinian reconciliation or , this is going to be a. of -- this is going to be a time of ferment and debate. really are facing the future. askingeague did a poll foretail what they hoped we also what they expected see in poll after poll that it

is palestinians by majority still sporting a two state solution. we don't think that is going to happen. were extremely skeptical. on both sides large majorities expected that if negotiations broke down they would be facing violence. i think this is a moment when it is important to focus on the nitty-gritty of preventing violence. it is also a moment when these two peoples and their leaders have to think about their alternatives and what they want to do about it. it is a very tough moment.

i think this is a moment when things might change a lot. >> there is a market for it anyway. >> there were no negotiations for four years for the obama first term. there was an outbreak of violence. i think violence tends to break down when the palestinian leadership wants them to. it did not come from the ground up. we know this from hamas. i am less afraid of a huge outbreak of violence. in the nextbe done few months. they have done this before. they had an effort of coalition government. it has always failed. i think this will fail to

because neither side wants it. it is obvious every pull wants to move to unity. it is not good for hamas. we are also afraid of what an election outcome might be like. they have to get back to some kind of political process. if i am right the political process isn't going anywhere either. i think with the israelis need to think about this year in particular is whether they want to do anything unilateral in the west bank. you had this proposal from michael warren. it takes you back and the sense in 2006won the election

-- whether we should make the move to spectator eight, b, c. it really becomes israel setting its order. it could be 50 years. -- isi thinks to meet really needs to think really hard about what they want to do. we call them parallel unilateral steps. they try to make the situation do,er if you assume, as i that a final agreement is beyond reach. >> in the absence of palestinian violence it doesn't seem likely that israel he will be focused .nough has been pointed out, it

has been pretty good in israel due to the absence of terrorism. seems there's no particular impotence and israeli's society to have that conversation that michael warren and others want israelis to have. >> y echo >> i don't know. those in a pre-arab spring reality. i don't see many israelis saying now is a good time to find more territory -- to seize more territory. it will inevitably be taken over by the most radical factions. reality --serious

>> i don't really disagree with that. think how different the world there would be it for 20 years united states had not been going a final status, a comprehensive final status agreement. if instead we had been pushing to make the situation better. >> i don't think your views are necessarily contradictory. it is problematic. >> yankee of unilateralism is connected to the success or failure of the hamas conciliation. if it succeeds, you're absolutely right.

if they can work with the palestinians in the way you acts,d between unilateral and work outamas arrangements, then that is a possibility. things, require two which are regrettably a bit lacking. in iivity and leadership don't say that as throwaway lines. regrettably if you look at israeli and palestinians, both creativity and leadership means taking risks in your own public .pinion we don't have an overabundance. >> i think what is underlying a saying -- ave been

lot of what we have and saying in the last few minutes is parties are negotiating -- parties are focused on a negotiating process. what we have to do is shift and outcomes.tly on ideally the outcome that has been the established goal of the united states since elliott was last in office, which is a two state solution. negotiations are probably the best in terms of sustainability and so on. if negotiations cannot succeed in this environment, what are other things that could be done to advance the ball? this is important for the united states to think about what are things the two sides might do or others might do that would move it backwards? if the united states can focus

and engagement in the parties be focused on that outcome, how do you preserve the possibilities of a two state outcome? do to avoid sending things back? then i think this can be fruitful and we can avoid some of the worst potential consequences. what is the ted -- what is the deadline for the table? that i think we're going to be in the position elliott was describing. >> it's probably going to change your topic here. in my view, the single most think -- listen to most useful think united states can do is be effective elsewhere in the region. deal, getly good iran an end to the syria conflict, the effective, the new leader

around the region. the context for this entire discussion in a much more positive way. >> let's go back to the next topic, which is iran. saidsraeli prime minister the major powers led by the united states should settle for nothing less than no nuclear enrichment, no uranium enrichment on iranian soil. wisdom,the conventional actually think president obama has said this, there's likely going to be a capacity for enrichment as an outcome of these talks. a civilian level of enrichment around five percent. how you reconcile that he echo

what happens if there is such an agreement he echo does israel itsin or was accelerate aggressive posture towards iran? >> i don't give that question much thought because i don't think this is going anywhere, even though it has the facsimile of progress. i would like to see a situation in which iran is kept perpetually a year or more away from a nuclear breakout. i don't think that is going to happen. proof thateen any the leadership matters. i don't see any substantial rollback to his plans.

if you are the supreme leader of iran he would not rollback. they are feeling a looseness in their economy. not as much as the critics would say that more than the administration would like. i think the six months we are in achieved half of president obama's goals. prevent iran to from going nuclear and the second goal was to help iran. there is a link between the peace process in this end a logical sense. recklesst run into

orders with hezbollah or hamas. i have written before the joe biden in particular, but kerry has also said this to him, joe biden does that wonderful way joe biden has. he is a was quoting his mother. they said no yourself to a really good cross. it is my understanding that netanyahu viewed that as setting. you have to set up these positions. kind oft a big cross guy. you don't see him taking a lot of action. obamauth of the matter is won the initial round of the contest.

threatened him and threatened him to attack and he didn't. obama came in with this plan. returnsssible netanyahu to a more aggressive posture? yes. but i think the administration and the iranian leadership share a common purpose, which is to get to the end of 2016 or 2017. iran is latent or close to a nuclear site -- nuclear state. there's a chance this with the >>t president's problem in it sounded like a suspected there are tectonic shifts in iranian society.

and you let me clarify, because i think that is important. this is not an authoritarian thick gator ship. when i say we should did domestic politics, i mean we should did the incentive for the supreme leader so much that he allowed a man to run for president that might not otherwise have allowed. that is significant. it allows this to take face. the discussions have been very suppurative. making lots of life -- nice noises and some that are less encouraging, and we will see where it goes. let me clear about what i think the limits are inside iran.

my sense is that the 1ministration and p5 plus have a pretty clear idea of what a deal looks like that is acceptable that will do what jeffrey was describing, that will keep it at least a year away from breaking out. negotiated -- the negotiation is that would give or would to respond give the u.s. time to respond militarily if necessary. whether that deal is achievable i think is a very open question. said, there is reason to be skeptical about what they are prepared to give up. think about it from the perspective of president obama looking across the middle east at a region that is in turmoil where major allies and partners

of the united states that we have relied on for decades in our regional policy like egypt are deeply unstable and relationships are afraid, where regional allies are anxious about us, and our role there, because of the changes. theend of the war in iraq, drawdown of afghanistan, the tapering down of historically large american military presence and engagement in the region. growing energy independence. all of these factors are underlying the discussions over the iran issue, and other friends in the gulf over this issue. so it is about the nuclear negotiations, but what will keep stable andfeeling secure is not just specific terms in that deal if it is ever achieved. them feelingp

comfortable and secure it is manifesting a commitment to stability in the region and putting ourselves at risk. in the region in ways they feel they can rely on. two points. first, just maybe right. assessment is that as usual, i think jeff is right that president obama articulated a policy in office, which was no bomb on my watch. iranians obliged. they made a calculus that we can make inroads in syria, win that iraq andds in a ro do not quite go over the line on the nukes, and that is how we

can get through the survivor administration. they would say it is ok because it meets the first principle, no bomb on my watch. everyone in this room should be on guard, because the day after richreach a deal -- domains will be in the exact same sentence for the very same people that will try to undermine us and bring us to war and the othereast leaders in the broader community of people who will say, wait a minute, this deal stinks. this is a deal that gets them enrichment. this is a deal that keeps the facility in the current position .

this gives them research and development as far as the eye can see. a deal that does not stop missile development. people, advocates for the deal will paint critics not as loyal angry at order opposed to the diplomatic achievement that they feel the administration snuck in, but rather as warmongers. the first sign of which we saw a few months ago. you can decide if you like this deal or do -- or do not like the deal, but if there is a deal, that scenario is coming. be prepared. jeffrey. unlike rob, i do not believe the aministration will vote for

lousy deal. rob is struck me that talking about the long relationship. even more juice internationally. i wanted to take this question from the audience. what is the scenario of the talks break down and enhanced international action or retrenchment? andhe talks break down there is no deal, you will obviously see more sanctions? that is to be expected. more fateful question is that the talks break down, israel will strike iranl. . jeff spoke about

is a boxing in by the diplomatic process in sanctions. if negotiations fail, sanctions failed. after all, meant to force them to sign a deal. if the sanctions fail to do continues the nuclear weapons program, you have a very fateful decision and the hands of the nuclear program. i get the percentage chance that israel will strike, a bit higher than i think jeff thinks it is. i think netanyahu came close to ordering this in the summer 2012 but he had american opposition. he also did not have the consensus in the israeli security establishment. -- if the talks is making, -- iran

progress in the missile program. making progress on mastering the second generation of centrifuges. making progress in the various sites. pursuing a plutonium route. it talks break down, i think you will see that consensus row, and indeed, there were public statements this weekend. both of which said we may have to act. they were not viewed as hotheads. they were not in favor a couple of years ago of an israeli strike. me, the problem that is are likely is they do reach deal. and if it's a crummy deal.

isant to say, i think rob exactly right because we have seen it already. we have heard the word thrown around. you know what you will get. but you will get it much more broadly. you will get it from parts of the jewish immunity, the most disgusting piece of this. if you have american jewish leaders saying this is a really bad deal and a deal that is not really going to prevent iran from getting closer and closer and closer to being able to turn around and announce a bomb. how poor our intelligence record is. on the russian bomb, chinese bomb, pakistani bomb, north korean bomb. the cia discovered about pursuing a nuclear reactor. nothing.

i just was going to say on what if negotiations collapsed? i think it matters very much how they fall apart. enticing parts of the gain for is managingtates that. if it looks like the negotiations have come to a standstill. because it is important to maintain sanctions and strengthen sanctions, and we know those most effective are the multilateral sanctions and particularly those that engage countries that deal with iran, so if we have to do that, we wed those guys on site and want them to fail in such a way that it is clear to the party, and that is part of the challenge for the united states as it plays this out.

i think that actually what we have got so far is the u.s. working very hard to keep israel and gulf allies very closely informed for every in stage of every stage of the talks. so i understand the scenario that robin elliott are painted. it will beot think as polarized as american politics. we are facing historically high levels of reluctance by the american public to engage in foreign affairs in any way. that is something we all have to recognize with. as a foreign-policy professional that is something i find troubling. american public opinion is actually outside of that general

renaissance or isolationism or whatever you want to call it. -- publican politics has been educated they have no warm feelings dating back to the revolution and that there are boards and all of that. i think the american public understands this is a country that not only on the nuclear issue but a range of other fores is a problem international security. a problem for american security. so i just do not see it playing out quite the way that has been described. it is not serious. it is different. >> jeffrey, you took a hit for suggesting this president would go to a military solution if that is what it came to. do you still think that? >> i do. i think there are two conditions the president would use military

force on iran. the first is this we discovered secret -- is building secret nuclear facilities. again, elliott is one of those people who has given me hit for suggesting it. but i endorse what elliott said is that when the administration said we will know. no we will not. luck we know anything. so if we discover they are doing something in a subterranean imagine ahen i cannot situation in which the president would not order a strike on the new facility and possibly others. smart toprobably too do that and probably too smart to do the other thing that would prompt a strike, which is to go to overt breakout, to pick out

inspectors after the collapse. bomb.h toward a i cannot imagine a situation in which the administration would not respond with military force. this is why, i think both parties him at the administration and iranians have a proud interest in perpetuating the talks, because i think they do understand. does obamas word mean anything into we have determined capability? i think they still believe that is possible, which is why they are engaged in the process in the first place. i think that is why they will be engaged as long as possible. i think if for some reason they miscalculated and did something see no reason why they would hesitate to launch a

limited strike on those facilities. serious calculation. the general view that people in the middle east have taken or what happened last summer in is the president walked away at the last minute without informing allies. subject to the interpretation or others that he -- drone drum strike strike but will not do much more than that and will not attack us because that would be a pretty serious thing. the president has said this many times, so forcefully that it looks as if the iranians are headed for a bomb on his watch he has to stop them, although there is an alternate way of stopping them, which is to say

maybe time for the israelis to act. i think it is quite possible the what if yout has about us and what they think of us, you know the ayatollah hates , it is possible i think that they might draw the conclusion .hey are safe and can cheat look at the chlorine gas. what is the american reaction? stop using chemical weapons. what is our reaction? nothing. the chance of miscalculation is really quite serious. breakdown, what is also interesting and the actionn asked, enhanced when the talks started actually means -- meant something quite different because of changes with russia and other geopolitical factors.

hasobama administration always said the value taking its time to come to the state and has built an international consensus. does the consensus matter now? >> i do not think we have seen in practical terms the russians often their engagement in the process or stance within the process. clear there are a lot of things we have to reevaluate about russia's foreign-policy and attitudes towards its neighborhoods in toward the world. i think on this one we have not seen evidence of their reevaluating or evidence of using the nuclear issue as

leverage against us on other things. does not mean we should not worry about the possibility. and if indeed that happens, the process will not survive that i think. work on countries acting in their interest. the issue has been to be a player. iranians,engage with nuclear cooperation as we know and that times have pulled back or put constraints on the cooperation. table andto be at the bf the player -- table. i do not anticipate they will take themselves out of the process to spite us. book -- go to questions. ring them up to me when you can. a lot of them were asked to me

when the palestinian/israeli part of the talk. we have one question here for each panelist. if it were up to you, and i am presuming this relates to israel/palestine emma what is the next actionable step? in terms one do next of advancing the crisis? >> you mean from the american ?erspective to go > i mean i prefer to answer from the israeli perspective. the same phobia of our unilateralism that a lot of people do. the ideas about partial unilateralism or taking israel's -- israel is taking their faith into their own hands and not waiting for someone else to tell them.

for the u.s., it is an interesting question. it better to have the peace process or not have the peace process cap go i think it is to have a level of engagement than to have no engagement. so i worry about president obama's mood on this. he does not feel he can do -- i do not know this because he has said this, i believe it to be so . if he had his druthers, he would use more overt pressure to get him to shut down settlements. he does not want to spend that kind of a local capital them either before or after november. of his frustration and an ability to maneuver israelis him at the first time they thought all we have to do is tell them to do x, y, and z and did not do it.

we havehis tendency seen from statements and mainly from inside the white house come the tendency to walk away from this, and i do not think that it's a healthy thing. i would prefer the secretary of -- i think a set of his ideas are good and a set are little less than fantastical. that is not an insulting thing that has maybe an overly rosy view of a willingness to move ahead. i would love to see in the absence of progress huge amounts of efforts going into making sure the west bank is as nice a place to live as possible, because bad things were happening. >> we will come back to this topic tomorrow. >> can i take 30 seconds before the time?

i sort of made a promise to myself that in front of jewish audiences i would not let it go without at least 30 seconds on the urgency of our community speaking up and speaking more actively and urgently on the need for action for syria. our community tends to look at the conflict as a great warp. -- war. may it last to the last man standing. that is so wrong. today after we have just recognized not to make any comparisons. shouldf all days we recognize there is a path to genocide in syria. is being governed by bashar al-assad and as long as he is able to use gas against kids,tizens, gas against

then we do nothing about it, which i regret to say american policy is to feed, clothe and take care of refugees when they get out of the country, but to do very little to actually stop the death inside syria. we of all people have a responsibility to speak up. there are thousands of kids eating parked in syria today. this should not be happening. we actually have the power to stop it. about one single american soldier getting in foul -- involved on the ground in serious. so do not believe the lies about the false choice between an activity or having to send the 82nd airborne in to solve it. that is wrong. do not believe it. we can go on if you would like, but i apologize. we have not talked about. today. [applause]

very important. >> can you top that? >> no. when i first started working in this town i was working for congress. we put together -- it is ok. thanks for that. >> kind of a zombie now. together an incredible coalition of muslims and jews to support american engagement and identified involvement. it was powerful, and it pushed ideasn a lot of the same of people killing each other for centuries and nothing we can do about it or it is a slippery slope. endorse what rob just said. on the israeli-palestinian issue him we talked about

guess i amsm, and i more skeptical that it represents something viably ofhin political and in terms creating a sustainable situation between israelis and palestinians. attractionstand the of the idea for israelis of the borders of their states, but i think it would be very painful for israelis as well, because it would involve uprooting people. we talk a lot about why they are unpalatable. i also think there is a big question about it in terms of you areand if withdrawing, what is being withdrawn? if it is just israeli civilians being withdrawn amid that they

will continue to operate freely on both sides of whatever line is strong, then i think you have to ask a lot of questions about whether this could be a positive step in the israeli is -- israeli-palestinian dynamic. to noteit is important this is not the only alternative to driving for comprehensive final status agreement. it is possible to think about less like another interim agreement. i would argue that it's also very difficult. hoccould look at ad agreements on specific issues where israel and the palestinians do have strong incentives to cooperate on things like water and energy the the -- deeply affect quality of life for people and .he economic viability i do not think one should

exclude any agreement if one gives up on the comprehensive final status agreement. >> i am a little surprised at what he said. that theto me settlements that entangle israel in the lives of palestinians to a greater degree than idf activity on the ground, most of protect designed to those isolated settlements. you have two guys on a hill and a battalion operating in the palestinian areas around it to protect those three guys on the hill. and a tape -- that you could take to disentangle. if you could pull out the settlers, unless the soldiers, we would not have had the rockets. quite the level of entitlement and therefore hatred.

-- entanglement. >> the rockets that came out of be a threat. also, if you pulled the idea the high and security fence. >> i am thing start the process of disentanglement with the billions first. been put on this because he was part of that position. notion that you could have sensibly withdrawn all israelis from gaza does not make sense. a couple of thousand, 5000 nothing, nocting juice left. the westthey doing? bank is different. i want to turn to settlements. i think the obama administration has miserably mishandled the

settlement issue from the very beginning with george mitchell, who is a disaster. disaster by obsessing over the adult -- issue with settlements. >> bill burns and i are good old friends. >> my dear friends george mitchell is an idiot. >> politically. most israelis, something like 80% thinks that building in jerusalem is obviously going to a sensible thing to do. and about eight percent of israeli -- 80% have very mixed confusing views. if the united states took possession we believe construction should be limited

to the major blocks in his -- chilean -- jerusalem, we would have extremely wide support for any prime minister. to do that, to restrain settlement construction beyond the fence. instead the position we have taken assault construction is the same. the tiny a settlement in the west banks. orre is about an 80% or 90% 100% unity among israelis that they should be building. a wide resale he consensus. we help the settler movement a great deal. helped them.

that was not what the administration meant to do and did not know what it was doing. i do think that restraining settlement destruction -- settlement construction beyond the view is -- fence is smart. tomy own view i would like see them pulled back inside the fence. i think it is not possible for this coalition today to do that. it is possible to think of many coalitions in israeli politics that could do that, and the problem we have created, frankly, we created it. negotiated when there was lots of settlement construction. we are the people who create a machmudarboss -- boss. was a crisis in a sense

over settlement construction. it did not need to happen that the government, the american government created. them in ae put difficult situation. i have to tell you netanyahu does not want to talk about this . he is restraining settlement construction beyond the fence. are lots of complaints from people from the settler movement and people living beyond the fence. we want to build a new this and that and cannot get permission. everything is very slow. he is in fact not restraining construction. the government is slowing it down beyond the fence. at is the policy you think is right, i would say to you that is possibly the policy of the israeli government today.

outerhaps you have beat john kerry as optimists of the century. is not going to happen. >> this is a good, broad question. how has turkey and egypt's role changed in the past here? > -- year? year, egypt was government by mohamed morsi. today on the verge of being new president. they are extraordinarily different like night and day. so egypt has changed dramatically. question -- there are many questions about egypt but in terms of our discussion is will egypt become a constructive

regional player? egypt is totally consumed domestically. with its politics, fight against jihadist in the sinai, etc. i has not played positively or negatively a role outside in quite a long time. will that change? if it changes for the better, i certainly hope so. i think it would be an enormously positive development of a would play of constructional regional role. that would be great. turkey has gone the other direction. tried to play a huge regional role and got slapped at every corner, largely because they were led by a megalomaniac. but -- there goes my next the visa. all did not like his

policy toward serious and do not like the idea that the grand vision involves huge costs internationally for her -- turkey, they wanted them to be closer to the west. they want local elections. at enormous cost politically. to be a regional chance that we will see another he ifof civil violence in we get to a presidential election in which the prime minister tries to become president and exert his authority in a new and more authoritarian way. >> there is another really good question here. the is the significance of presidents holocaust?

it?here a significance to go ahead. >> you are in the holocaust consult. were you aware of this? >> it is interesting in the context of the agreement. i take it as a kind of sensitivity on his part to his political agreement in the u.s.. useful to be widely denounced in the u.s. for making deals. we suggested you could taste -- say something here that differentiates you from iranians. he did it. it was a smart thing to do and might even do good in the sense when the palestinian group the cash, a lot of negative reaction in the home.

we use the word incitement a lot. we talk about this issue. unfortunately has never been a serious matter for the united states. --artisan, president bipartisan. presidents of both hardee's have said they should stop. we have never post card or penalized. goes on.ous him the sense that you should not talk about the holocaust continues. if this means henceforth an official palestinian textbooks it will have a more intelligent and historically accurate view of the holocaust, that would be a very good ink. i think we need to see whether this is a one-time pop because we think it can do is good in washington this week or a serious change in the way they will address the issue. lex this is not the first time he has made the statement. -- he isast day and

not a holocaust denier. he has never been a holocaust denier. been, and there is no contradiction, he recognizes the enormity of the holocaust, and he also thinks the sinus to movement played a big role -- zinest movement in collaborating with synopses to make life or goal for the jews so they will come in droves to palestine. .t is not holocaust denial it is a totally skewed view of history. is sort of grotesque and many things but you cannot label him with augmentin is on. achmedinijad. it would be nice if beyond the recognition of the fact that

what he is really doing is ofnging the tenor discussions about the entire issue and palestinian public life. that we have yet to see. i was disappointed they were so dismissive. one of the underlying issues in the peace process for lack of peace is an unwillingness on the part of many palestinians, if not most leaders to try to understand the basic jewish narrative. i think in this sense israelis have made more process on this issue and in the and palestinians are from there. there are a few leaders will say jews are from this place. it explodes the basic narrative.ists any attempt by any palestinian leader to say this is jewish history, reality, we will try to

understand it, it cannot possibly hurt, especially given the incredible horrible things that are said in much of the discourse. cynical innovation behind it i cannot see is anything but a good thing. questions another good and one that i have been asking. regarding the flyers distributed outside a synagogue in kiev, even with the claims of both sides that it was a hoax, how concerning is that the fact that this statement is being made in the fact of political instability? what do jews have to worry about in terms of being used as a football or raised in this context. the worry, and i do think by the way that this is a political moves as you are suggesting, not

an effort to drum up huge activity. what it shows is the jewish question as it were still exists. all these years after the holocaust in areas is avery few jews, this very sensitive issue. people think when there is a crisis, what can i do here to unsettle things? what can i do to attract attention? what can i do to change the politics of the region? choose. jews stole 2014. very discouraging and the regions of the world. in crimea there are a lot more russian jews, right? there were thousands of jews in crimea. that are nows

-- that are being fought over. i do not know when i am supposed to say this, but i will say the jews who are there should not in my view be there. and we should make whatever efforts we can and so should the israelis to help get those to israel or another place where they will be saved because there is no future for them there. >> i was in ukraine last week and talk to a leader of the community about this and he had a very optimistic view about the burst of anti-semitism pointed out. pointed out that 100 years ago anti-feminism is an overt and positive a little cold platform on the part of many old in that part of the world. you became popular as a leader

by advocating anti-semantic policies. it that both sides are using to tar the opposite side. another words, don't support the russians because they are anti-semantic. to not support the ukrainians because they are anti-semantic. so this person saw that as progress in the fight against anti-semitism. >> i wish i could agree with that. what he said i think is exactly right, to tar the other side in washington. not so sure it tar is the other side at home. but that might be true. jews -- the old stereotype that the two cases are coming out of the closet. here is the final question as we wind down. one thing we have talked about and has come up in the questions here come a we talked about the

peace process and next steps for israel. what about next steps for the palestinians? the questioner siad?what happens about tom friedman talks about this. building institutions up on the ground. who comes after abhas? for the an outlook palestinians? sympathy forot of him. a lot of empathy is a better word. he looks around him. he sees the palestinian politics is moving not just sideways but backwards. understanding for the time being he is laying very low. when he willme

retire or pass away. there will be a moment of leadership change in the contest for leadership. securityready seeing around him and the current and old ones. they are back out of the woodwork. they use the head of the soccer federation to pledge mr.. he invited the iranian soccer team to play. him -- knows that gets them off him. a lovely human being coming out of the woodwork. also camille guys are coming out because they can smell -- all of the old guys are coming out because they can smell the scents of change. is there going to be the alternative party? the party of progress, not the

party of conflict and progression. cannot do it alone. will they stand up? will they do something? will we ? l.a. it's possible, june 2002 about a clean palestinian government. will we start using the link which? language that has disappeared from public this court's for many years. if we do not say it, they are not going to do it? they have a role to play but they have a -- we have a role to play but they have a big role, too. i will just say i think we .ave talked a lot about hamas

bothn palestinian society of these parties are on a downward trajectory. asther of them is viewed having covered themselves in glory in the advancement of goals or future of prosperity of the palestinian people. that egg the question rob asked, where are you candidates and how the might they emerge? i go back to the point i made progresspalestinian has been merged. it has been more comfortable for all of us. if we want to see the alternatives emerge, there has to be an environment in which they have incentive to do so. that get to the israeli-palestinian level but also to the domestic palestinian level. he election's. collections for what? what is in

it for me if i get collect did? what am i accountable for and what can i achieve? these are the question political entrepreneurs and people with leadership skills will ask themselves before they decide whether to form an alternative party or put themselves in front of the public. about the to care environment and creating those incentives. it is not enough for us to just hang back and hope it all works out for the best and hang back and let's see what happens with the reconciliation deal. it matters, the terms of the deal matter for that environment, the creation of alternative and for progressive palestinian politics. this is a time for the united states to be actively engaged in trying to shape what is happening in that positive direction. it is not enough to cross our fingers and hope for the best. >> i agree with that much.

we're not so good at it. we have been trying. you and i have been trying and many other former officials -- reform of the party has been a party for many years. i think it is part of the broader question we're now seeing in the aftermath of the arab of rising. you cannot have a democracy without them a political parties. you have the old mubarak party. the army and muslim brotherhood. democratic forces in society exist have been unable thateate political parties appeal throughout egypt. the only place we see real progress on this is tunisia. of the arab world it

is still the case that the only mass movement -- you have , and whatd islamists we have not seen is the emergence of more moderate mass movement to create political parties. . wish we could help i am not sure we know how to home very much. >> at least we could not get in the way. >> we cannot get in the way, absolutely. one thing i think we can do and should speak of poor democracy and human rights. when newspaper editors are put in jail, we should speak up about that. corruption,s fast and there is fast corruption, we should speak up about that and have the right to do that because some of that is foreign aid money. i think the question of what

comes after -- i cannot answer the question of what comes after will raise rotter questions about the palestinian local question and what the people want but it is part of the broader crisis of arab politics where the bad guys are well organized in the good guys are not. >> jeffrey. the smartest person on the panel already expressed my views. no assumptions. if we are closing, can i say another thing that is been sitting on my heart that i wanted to say is that i have four 25ching a fox on years, as have you and many others. it has always struck me that

jewish people can be sometimes annoying, exasperating, but i have never met anyone who has loved just -- the jewish people as much as dave foxman and wanted to say thank you for that. [applause] >> ok. i want to thank the panel. a very easy panel. >> it is true. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> the u.s. house is about to return to legislative session in a few moments after a two-week rake for the easter passover holiday. nine bills on the agenda, including one's thinking more

transparency and federal spending. the house will be back at 4:00 eastern, eight minutes from now. live coverage here on c-span. not on the house agenda just yet thelegislation may come to house for consideration at some point. here is more from this morning's "washington journal." >> here to talk about the issue more is robert costa, political reporter. i want to talk about john boehner and how he is viewed by his own party. he has a wife had a nice homage easy rapport with colleagues in rose quickly up the leadership ladder. i think because of the current turmoil in the republican party where you see a rise of the tea , a battle against the elected establishment and

leadership, i think he is in the middle of that. he is someone with a conservative record, but a veteran lawmaker and not one of those young tea party lawmakers. i think he is always trying to manage the younger caucus, the more conservative wing and balance that with the wishes of the older members. >> earlier in the program we read a story of how the speaker said he absolutely plans to run for speaker again, feels that his standing in the caucus is rather strong. are you hearing about challenge as speaker? >> i do not think there is a credible challenge. there was an attempt of a coup in early 2013. he had about a dozen republicans challenge on the house floor. surprisinglyhas strong political capital in the house after he struck out last year. he has all-star in his

relationships. those who could challenge him like the whip or eric cantor, majority leader, they are all on team boehner. that is afootent is by the people who attempted 2013, tim whewell's camp, just otherosh of michigan and conservatives. i think they're trying to run against him but not more than 20 or 30 votes on their site. talk about the tensions in the house right now. is a member of the roman catholic church and has met with cardinals of the church to talk about immigration and sympathetic to those who

want reform. on a personal level, his politics lean in that direction. he believes there should be compassion of those, almost in a jet bush wait. he is in that school, the gop. comes from that perspective. most people in his conference for the house gop are very skeptical of president obama and president obama and the democrats commitment to border security, should any kind of immigration deal be struck. own battle against skepticism as he tries to get something done. lex realistically, do you think there is a path where he will be able to compel more members of the caucus to get behind substantial immigration reform i think there is a slight opening. his comments indicate he is open to doing something. it would probably have to come in the summer and always going

to be in the election year. i think he captured it with his comments that there are a lot of conservatives, especially if they do not want to do a major bipartisan legislative package. question on the house speaker, john boehner. you mentioned that government shut down. what has changed from the way people view john boehner from that point until now to go >> before the shutdown he was seen as someone willing to deal with the president, perhaps too much from a conservative view. he was not seen as someone in the trenches for an ideological agenda. they know he did not want to go through with the shutdown. the fact that he allowed the shutdown to happen, but he did not try to clamp down on it early on politically out, that's

really raised an eyebrow why many on the right and surprised them and endeared them the way they have not been in years. probably in a better position now with conservatives than he has been in a long time. [indiscernible] robert costa, national political reporter. thank you for joining us. >> this night we take a step, a positive step, and the people watching us, mr. speaker, on television tonight and reading about their congress tomorrow and seeing that we were able to act, not perfectly but in a bipartisan fashion to try to take a step toward fiscal responsibility, fiscal stability, and yes, caring for those who most need our help in this country.

so i urge my colleagues as the supportf my party to the legislation, not as democrats, republicans but as an american who understands that that actionelieve is necessary. i would urge all of us as we close this debate to do so in a way that brings us together, not drive us apart. but reaches out to the best in us, not to the partisan enough. mr. speaker, it is time for this congress to come together, address this issue and act together. and pass this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. find more highlights from 35

years of house floor coverage on our facebook age. c-span, created by america's cable companies 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public >> in just a moment the u.s. house will gavel back in. members are returning to legislative session after a two-week easter passover holiday break. among the nine bills on the agenda today, one seeking more transparency in federal spending. roll call votes are set for 6:30. white house coverage here in just a moment here on c-span. very quickly, from the associated press, vance mcallister says that he has failed his country and let down his district by serving a married female aid. conduct,ized for called it a personal failure, said that he spent the easter

recess reconciling with his wife and children. a security release this month showed him kissing and aid and family friend, melissa picked -- melissa peacock. he has apologized and peacock has resigned. >> still a moment away from the start of the house legislative session this afternoon. politico is reporting that michael grimm was hit with a 20 count federal indictment today, including allegations that he skimmed or than $1 million from a restaurant that he owned before he came to congress.

those allegations are related to his ownership of the health food restaurant in manhattan. he owned the restaurant after he left the fbi in 2006 until he was elected to the house in 2010. again, we are moments away from legislative business in the house. members beginning this week with

nine suspension bills, including one dealing with government spending, transparency. roll call votes will happen after 6:30 eastern. we expect live coverage of the u.s. house in just a moment, here on c-span.

>> so, the house is scheduled to return in just a moment to begin legislative session is afternoon, but things are running a bit slow, i guess, as the members have been away on a two-week break. as we wait, a look at the week ahead in congress. this segment we will discuss the week ahead. joining me as jeff mason, writer for reuters, and shannon gold mocker is a respondent for "national journal."

jeff, i want to start with you. give us the highlights of the big things you are watching this morning. >> it has been an interesting trip for the president. he made a point and has made a point of saying in press conferences throughout the trip that it was not about containing china. he went to four different countries, japan, malaysia, most recently the philippines and south korea. but a lot of people have been watching it as a china containment to her the last thing that happened in the philippines was the united states announces a new tack in the philippines that will allow more military to be returned to those islands. it has been interesting watching him deal with that. obviously china and the u.s. have a very important relationship, something the u.s. is interested in maintaining and improving, but allies in the region are worried about the rise in china as well.

are returning after a two-week vacation. what can we expect to see him the hill? >> the longest and first hits will be on the hill. i would not look for a bunch this week or even over the next two months. congress is beginning to debate spending bills for the upcoming year. most of what is happening is messaging that is already gearing towards the november elections. primaries in both the house and senate, a lot of the attention is back on the home state. mitch mcconnell faces his primary in may. there are a couple of heated senate primaries and one of the biggest, the tea party versus establishment republicans in idaho as well. >> on this one, shane, how big of a role is the election playing on what gets done on capitol hill? guest: it is completely overshadowing everything on capitol hill. the only thing moving is

basically spending legislation. the big things going on this week will be in the senate, talking about trying to hike the minimum wage, which has no chance of coming into law this year. this coming month republicans will be talking about the things they want to talk about, like the contempt vote for lois haver, conservative groups been giving extra scrutiny to the irs scandal and want to hold her in contempt of the house. the republican base, they are trying to say we are listening and we are outraged, two. >> i want to ask you about 2014. president obama obviously not running for anything, but he will be a figure in that race. have we heard anything on the politics side? guest: absolutely. they said it is affecting virtually everything going on on that side of pennsylvania avenue . you will hear more and more talk from the white house about raising the minimum wage,

something they have put a lot of effort and time into, despite the fact that it has no chance of getting past on capitol hill. we might hear more about other issues that the president cares about coming up in the 2014 election, including health care. he is pressing really hard for democrats to campaign on the success, so far, of the affordable care act, people continue to your messaging directed at that. whoially as we talk about is campaigning on the health care law, democrats against other democrats, they are happy to have their role highlighted in light of the affordable care act. they are not touching it. >> let's start with the white house. obviously it has quite a bit of traction on the hill with republican efforts to repeal and replaced the law. >> sure. i think the white house is very proud about the fact that they got a few million people -- over 8 million people to me and

rolled. it exceeded expectations from outside pundits and analysts, they are happy to trumpet that. there will be another enrollment. coming up this fall. they have to worry about getting their next health and human services secretary confirmed in the senate. also, just tying in with that campaign, it has encouraged to democrats and citizens in states around the country to see the benefits of the law and not to focus on the crummy rollout that was last year. if you would like to join the conversation, for republicans the number is 202-585-3881. 202-585-3 880. independents, 202-585-3882. you mentioned immigration.

shannon, i will go to you first, and then jeff. guest: i think that there will be a lot of discussion of immigration, but not a lot of voting on immigration. many of these bills passed the senate without taking this up. instead democrats are going to be pushing to take it up. i know the speaker had said two different groups outside washington, to the donor community, we want to do something on immigration, but the reality is he will not -- at least not a comprehensive bill. his own membership doesn't want it. a lot of it is trying to build a coalition at some point in the future to get a republican majority to take it up in the house, but it just doesn't look like that will happen in 2014. host: you mentioned john weiner in his district. is he getting any pushback on those comments? thingsit is one of those where the farther you get from washington, the more comfortable

lawmakers feel speaking their mind, being a little honest. his comments were basically -- >> washington journal airs live every morning at 7 a.m. eastern here on c-span. going live now to the house. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. issa: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 994. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 994, an act to expand the federal funding accountability and transparency act of 2006 to increase accountability and transparency in federal spending, and for ther purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. issa, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20

minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. issa: madam speaker, i rise today in support of senate bill 994, the the distinguished gentleman from at that time accountability and transparency act, or data act. as chairman of the house oversight and government reform committee, i have looked to tackle major problems pervasive in the federal government. over the past four years, our committee, the majority and the minority, have taken up and moved several bills designed to reform the federal government. majority leader cantor has worked with leaders on both sides of the aisle to take most of these reforms and vand them through the full house, often

on an unanimous basis. all members of the house can be proud of the work we've done to improve the federal government. without a doubt, the most important transparency reform we've pushed over the last four years has been the data act. the data act is but a first shot of a technological revolution that will transform the way we govern. just three weeks ago, the g.a.o.'s comptroller general came before our committee and testified that the status of the federal -- data program is abysmal. agencies have no standardized performance metrics for their programs. agencies cannot tell us how many programs they have. but most importantly, agencies do not and usually cannot tell us how much taxpayer money has been spent on any given program. the spending information that is provided is often

incomplete, out of date and very often inaccurate. the american people deserve to know if their taxpayer dollars are being wasted or whether they're being spent wisely. but even the meager amount of performance information collected today is useless if it cannot determine how much resources from any given program is truly consumed. this information disadvantages not only congress but in fact the president's administration. presidential administration one after another consists of but a few thousand officials to oversee a work force of nearly two million people and trillions of dollars. regardless of political party affiliation, each congress and every president is frustrated by this large, permanent, unaccountable class of

bureaucrats. some scholars have even deemed the permanent bureaucracy as the fourth branch of the federal government. in order to better oversee the federal government, congress and even the president and his appointees must better leverage the technology available today. the data act will allow us to do just that. i introduced the first version of the data act in 2011. its inspiration came from a relative small expense in the obama administration's 2009 stimulus spending bill, a bill that i overall did not approve of but which did have this important accountability standard. it temporarily established the recovery accountability and transparency board. the board was chaired by a respected inspector general, earl deveney.

under his leadership, the bordes tab lished direct reporting requirements for stimulus project and standardized federal agency reporting. this allowed inspector generals and other law enforcement agencies to more effect ily prosecute fraud and prevent improper payment. further mor this information was made available to the public, on line in an easy to download, easy to manipulate format so that journalists, academic and government watchdogs could more easily analyze stimulus spending. i met with vice president joe biden in november of 2010, prior to even becoming the chairman of the oversight and government reform committee. despite possible disagreements on some aspects of stimulus, we found ourselves very much in support of the recovery board's successes and knew it could be

replicated across the entire federal government. i want to thank vice president biden for his continued public and private support for the kinds of reforms embedded in this legislation today and particularly for continuing to be a champion of the recovery board's work and the transparency it brought. in order to do what we agreed to back in 2010, the federal government would need standardized data and reporting by all federal agencies and improve red sip yent reporting. that's the -- that's the only way you could accomplish this and legislative action was needed. after months of working with leading experts in the field of standardized reporting, i introduced in july of 2011, the first version of the data act, h.r. 2146. later that year, i joined with ranking member eliza -- elijah cummings to refine the

legislation and mark it up through our committee. i want to thank representatives on both sides of the aisle here today for the bipartisan nature in which we worked on this kind of transparency work. it's technical, it's sometimes hard, of course it's a pushback from bureaucrats but it's what congress is supposed to do, is to make the institutional changes that make government more accountable. in april of 2012, we brought to the floor on a bipartisan basis and passed the first version of the data act unanimously. a companion version, then, s. 3600, was introduced by senator mark warner of virginia and senator rob portman of ohio. that year, the senate didn't take up the act on their side or the bill that was passed. but last year, we reintroduced the data act as h.r. 2061. and approved it unanimously out of our committee. we made significant changes to streamline the bill but we

maintained the focus on its core elements. simultaneously senator warner and senator portman introduced a senate bill, its companion, senate s. 994, the bill before us today. the house acted quickly again and approved h.r. 2061 by a vote of 388-1. knowing that the legislative calendar was short, house and senate sponsored work with senator carver and senator coburn to preconference a process that ensured the bill would be taken up by the full senate and which anticipates our passage here today. we also were able to bring to the table those reformers in the administration, both political appointees and career civil servants, to offer technical improvements to the bill and they're incorporated in this legislation. while the bill does not contain all reforms the house advanced

in its two previous votes on the data act, the bill before us today does contain the core elements of the two prior versions of the bill and maintains the most important step, common data standard and recipient reporting. the data act is more than just better tools to fight waste and fraud. requires agencies to report their financial information in standard formats program by program. the data act gives policymakers in congress and in the executive branch better information to make better decisions. more importantly, we give the american people better information toe valuate our performance. in addition to strong data standards and requirements for agencies to produce program by program information, the house senate agreement -- the house-senate agreement contains two key provisions from previous

versions of the data act. first, the bill authorizes the treasury department to establish a cutting edge data analysis modeled specifically after the successful recovery operations center. it also -- which is also known as the r.o.c. s the center i spoke earlier about, established by now retired but still distinguished friend of government earl deveney as part of the recovery board's efforts. the new center will bill on innovative technology and ideas from the r.o.c. and expand their use throughout the federal government. the data act specifically provides for the transfer of that technology still in place at the r.o.c. board. this new treasury department data analysis center will be a vital tool for law enforcement agency the i.g.'s, and the -- and i.g.'s in their criminal and

other informations. -- investigations. it will also strive to prevent impromer -- improper payments. secondly the better -- the act before you today establishes a program to develop and consolidate reporting for recipients of federal funds. i want to emphasize that, madam chair. federal recipients, people who get taxpayer money, will now have a transparent and consolidated way to send the information as to how they're spending it so you and the public will know. hundreds of billions of federal taxpayer dollars are spent every year by state, local, and tribal governments and universities and private institutions. these institutions end up inevitably wasting millions of taxpayer dollars complying with duplicate and complicated reporting requirements. at the end of a two-year pilot program where recipients will report to a single entity in a

standardized manner, the director of the office of management and budget will issue guidance to all federal agencies on how to streamline and consolidate reporting requirements. just like with stimulus funds, the same data standards that apply to federal agency reporting will apply to recipient reporting. the data act will give the american people the ability to track how we spend their tax dollars. instead of sifting through d.f.'s, a form of visual nondatabased standard, posted online that only lets you see a picture of the spending, and many different formats, you now will in fact have all federal spending information available in downloadable format in a single machine readable format. that's a big mouthful, madam speaker, but what it means is that both individuals and entities large and small will be

able to create tools where on your iphone or an droid, you'll be able to ask a question or and rhode island, you'll be able to ask ea -- or android, you'll be able to ask a question and get an answer. it will give us powerful tools to root out fraud, waste and excess spending in the government. it will put at the american people's fingertips the kind of information today that only long and arduous research can unveil. more importantly, by simply opening up the information, we will enable journalists, academics and private sector businesses to use the data to create products that will deliver real value to the american people. just one example, the national weather service did just what we're proposing in opening up their data, making it freely available to the public some years ago. today, it reports -- it supports

a multibillion dollar weather analysis industry and every american with a smart phone or computer can find out what the weather is and what it's forecasted to be at any location in america. that wouldn't be possible without that open data standard and i'm very proud that it was a start but there's more to do. the data act will have the same ability to create jobs, jobs which is why this bill is so important and why it's endorsed by dozens of private sector technology companies. new york university business school professor joe gurran wrote in a recent book at value of government open data is that it's a long-term, permanent resource that innovators can use for decades, developing new ideas and new companies as technology makes them possible. that's a mouthful but it says what we need to say, which is, this is going to create whole new industries that are able to leverage the information that

today is not available to the american people and not available to the innovators in silicon valley and around america. i ask that my colleagues join me today in sending this bill to the president for his signature and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from d.c. is recognized. ms. norton: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i'm pleased to rise in support of s. 994, the data act. this is a landmark piece of bicameral and bipartisan legislation that will change the way the government operatesism applaud the sponsor of s. 994, senator mark warner, who put a lot of passion and hard work into this legislation and as you have just heard from the principal sponsor here in the house, our oversight committee chairman, darrell issa, who put

considerable energy into this bill over more than one session, as well as senate -- or senate chairman tom copper of the homeland security and government affairs committee and house oversight committee ranking member elijah cummings all worked very diligently to get us to the house floor today. the data act will provide the public with information about how the government is spending money, pure and simple this will hold agencies account fble their spending. it will result in a more effective government. on april 8, 2014, the comptroller general of the united states testified in support of this legislation and here's what he said. i think the data act is one of the biggest single things that could be done in order to provide more transparency on the cost of these program activities.

the comptroller general went on to say that the data acts would, quote, standardize the data and -- that's the operative word, standardize the data, so that you would be able to compare data across agencies. which we can't do right now. it would also provide more consistent information and a lower -- at a lower program spending level that we found to be a big obstacle to us in identifying adegreesal savings opportunities. data act will require the secretary of the treasury and the director of the office of management and budget to establish government-wide data standards. this will improve the quality of the data that agencies make available about their spending. der this bill, spending data will be available through a single website. the bill will require that spending data be available for each agency and each program

activity in a searchable, down loadable format. the data act is a bipartisan bill across both chambers that women -- will improve strans paraphernaliacy and in turn make government work better. i urge every member to support this legislation and mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: i thank the speaker. we have no further speaker at this time, i reserve the balance of my time to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: we have no additional speakers and i would like again to express my strong support for this bill, to thank chirme issa for his many efforts get it passed and through committee more than once, and i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time.

the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. in closing, this last weekend, the associated press talked about the waning days of this congress and expected to have a do-nothing congress. that's easy to say. but in this case, today, we're showing on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, with our friends in the senate, that there are major pieces of legislation that will save countless billions of dollars and provide better information to the american people and to the watchdogs who want to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. so this is not a controversial bill because it's taken years of hard work to get it right. but in fact, this is a major piece of legislation and i want to close by thanking senate carper, senator coburn, senator portman and senator warner, the author of the bill today. in addition to delegate eleanor holmes norton and of course my ranking member, congressman

cummings. this has been bipartisan, it's one of the many pieces of bipartisan legislation that take a long time, they hold a lot of hearings, but at the end of the day, the american people can trust that the american people's work does get done in spite of some of the things we are unable to do. this is a major piece of legislation. i want to thank, lastly, leadership for bringing this to the floor today in a timely fashion so we can get it to the president's desk for signing next week and with that, i urge support and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 994. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition?

mr. issa: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4192, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 308, h.r. 4192, a bill to amend the act entitled an act to regulate the height of buildings in the district of columbia to clarify the rules of the district of columbia regarding human occupancy of penthouses above the top story of the building upon which the placed.e is the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. issa, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. and i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous materials on the bill hereto under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: madam speaker, in 1910, the height of buildings act was signed into federal law. at bill in fact envisioned a prevention of a new york-style skyscraper from being erected here in the nation's capital. that bill is every bit as important today as it was in 1910. the district of columbia has a unique visual requirement. we should not, cannot and will not obstruct the mall and the major parts of this historic city. it is important that we maintain the skyline and the access, and we do so in every single consideration in this city. the memorials and monuments and public safety must be considered. however, over the last two congresses, the committee has been working on several small

modifications that really has said its time has come. after 100 years, the current legislation -- the current legislation makes a small but meaningful change. and let me put it in words the american people can easily understand. 100 years ago, they put a limit on the height of these buildings and then they put 20 eet beyond that limit of occupancy for water towers, coal stacks for the chimneys and of course the tops of elevators. those water towers, elevator shafts, chimneys, they were certainly pretty hideous but they were necessary. it's now 100 years later, and in fact the absence of other uses for these buildings often mean that these tops of these buildings are not considered to be an asthetically important part and there's no funding and

no source of revenue to make them better. under this modification to the height act, we allow for what have been called penthouses but in fact are simply industrial roof ton, air-conditioners and the like -- rooftop, air-conditioners and the like to be wrapped, if you will, by argument texturely pleasing -- architecturely pleasing structures. they may be offices, cafeterias, or in the case of a residential apartment complex, it can be a top apartment. under the legislation, they have to have a setback. the setback is roughly one foot per foot of height or 20 feet of setback if they go to the full 20 feet. so these are not a money lithic increase and -- monolithic increase. and last congress the committee held numerous hearings on the height act and listened to countless witnesses. i subsequently wrote to the

national capital planning commission, often called the ncpc, and the mayor's office, asking them to jointly study modifications to the height act and recommend any changes as they sought appropriate. for those who are unaware, ncpc is the regional planning commission na includes representatives of both the federal trend local interest. the height act study is impressive. aside from the research work, a series of meetings were held featuring considerable input from experts and the general public alike. afterwards, the mayor's office and ncpc provided separate recommendations. the mayor's specific recommendation increased the height limits in downtown, and the mayor also recommended that the city and ncpc work together to be able to use city

comprehensive plan as a tool to adjust height limits outside the lefante city region. this is not in today's proposal. ultimately, only after considering these broader changes, ncpc's only recommendation from the overall plan submitted from the mayor is in fact the modest proposal before you today. but let's understand. the height of buildings in this city will not change by one foot under this act, but the beauty of the tops of buildings and the useability will. the revenue to the city can increase because of the value of these top floors and yet we will cover up mechanical penthouses that today are simply elevator shafts, rooftop air-conditioners, water towers and the like. so long as that ratio of setback and the other provisions of the 100-year-old

act are maintained, the city will have the ability to approve structures. but let's understand those structures will still go through a rigorous program before they can be approved and they will continue to be consistent with the 1910 height act. ncpc itself recommended that human occupancy be allowed in such rooftop penthouses such that the setback be maintain and the penthouse can you see not exceed one story and no more than 20 feet of high be maintained. our bill does everything in the ncpc recommendation. so this bill simply gives the ty a little more latitude on llowing human occupancy in penthouses where they are already exist and allowed. i would like to have gone a

little further on this bill and i am very candid. there are areas well outside the city, as most people interpret it, far up in northeast where there are railroad tracks and industrial buildings, down in the southeast, an area that eleanor holmes norton has worked tirelessly to improve that could have been given additional options for higher buildings because they are outside of the area of concern for the mall and monuments. the city is not prepared to take that authority yet, and congress is not prepared to give authority that in fact its city council is not prepared to handle. that's the consensus that came from the city council in their own resolution and we respect that if the city does not want an authority, we are not going to thrust an authority on them. so with respect to the height act, let me close by saying that will always be somebody that doesn't want a law

changed, that wants the buildings shorter. they want their private home to see all the way to the mall. i would love to own one of those homes, quite frankly. a few feet away from here, i'd like to be able to walk out onto the speaker's deck, his balance conny i'd like to be able to see the white house but i can't because the treasury building was built in front of it and others. this legislation will not cause any of those shortcomings that have occurred in the past. just the opposite. it will butteify the tops of buildings if the city approves of those specific projects while maintaining the absolute limit that has been on these buildings since 1910. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 4192, and i appreciate the initiative of the chairman, chairman issa, who has just spoken, who has

always observed the self-government rights of the district of columbia and puts forward this bill in the same spirit of home rule. this legislation will amend the height act of 1910, which limits the height of all buildings in the district of columbia. the district is prohibited under the home rule act from permitting any structure, anywhere in the city in excess of the height limitations contained in the height act. the current law permits structures above the top story of buildings, including so-called pent houses to exceed -- penthouses to exceed the height limitations, but no human occupancy is permitted in mechanical penthouses and it gives the district authority to set the maximum height for such structures. currently, the structures have a height limit of 18.6 feet.

the legislation will allow human occupancy of these penthouses. additional legislation will mandate a 20-foot maximum :1 ht, one story, and a 1 setback for penthouses. the absolute height of any penthouse used for human occupancy will be 20 feet. i thank chairman issa for examining the height act when he saw that it had received little congressional oversight in the century of its existence. i supported chairman issa's request that the district of columbia and the national capital planning commission conduct a joint study of the height act because more than 100 years had passed since the height of d.c. buildings were

systematically discussed. they came to different conclusions as to whether or how the height act should be amend but agreed with respect to removing the -- amended but agreed with respect to removing the human occupancy of penthouses and setting a maximum height of 20 feet and one story. or one story for penthouses. the mayor and d.c. council expressed divergent views but i encourage them to work together to find common ground. i'm pleased that the mayor and council chairmen agreed to that and that is in essence before the congress today. under today's bill, the city, through its local zoning process, will have the home rule ability to permit human occupancy of penthouses if it would desire. however, this bill is not a mandate directing the city to

make any changes to penthouses or to its existing comprehensive plan or local zoning laws, more generally. again, i would like to thank chairman issa for working to give the district of columbia more authority. i also deeply appreciate the chairman's work in so many other ways for autonomy and his strong support on many occasions for home rule which he has raised as a factor in connection with the height act as well. i support the passage of this bill. i thank you, madam speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. it's now my pleasure to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, madam speaker. thank you to both of my colleagues.

i'm extremely pleased with the sensitivity that is expressed for the people of washington, d.c., because that is what we should have here. this is an amendment to the bill that -- regarding height of washington, d.c.' buildings changing d in 1910 as the height restrictions that were put in place in 1899. and as my colleague from the district of columbia pointed out, in really hasn't been discussed in detail in over 100 years. i recently had someone tell me as property gets so valuable here in washington, first you'll see exceptions made to the height restrictions and then soon follow by a lifting of the height because the money will be just too much for either party to turn down. and i realize and i am so

grateful that the height is not being changed as the chairman said, by one inch but i'm very concerned about beginning to make these exceptions for residence levels, even though residence is the change basically new york essence, i've looked at the change, i reviewed the prior law and madam speaker, i'm concerned that this is the camel's nose going under the tent, you're beginning to put residences above the height that was previously allowed. it may dress some up, it may change some in ways we're not crazy about but i'm just concerned about changing the height restriction even with these exceptions after 114 years of being in existence and so as a result, i think the chairman and my -- i thank my chairman and my friend from the district

of columbia, their sensitivity but i like the height restriction because of the emphasis -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. issa: i yield the gentleman 30 seconds. mr. gomeert: i'm concerned about the beginning of the exceptions that may move in -- mr. gohmert: i'm concerned about the beginning of the exceptions that may move in a direction we don't wish to have, the chairman mention nod one is granting that kind of authority and nobody is seeking it, yet, and i want to stop it before we have to get to that. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: thank you very much, madam speaker. i just want to thank the gentleman for speaking in favor of the bill, i understand his concern. no want to indicate that exception is really being made

in this bill. the height can go no higher than it can go right now. and the district of columbia can't make an exception because the congress of the united states controls heights still under this bill. of course we have our local zoning laws in the district, so there are many, many parts of the district where you can't begin to go as high as the height act. i'm a third generation washingtonian. and i must say that i adore the residential quality of this city, which is essentially built on the notion of private homes and not large-scale apartments. the city really did not want to dislodge that, and that has not occurred here. there may still be some disagreement among residents but do note that when the counsel

-- the council which expressed some disquiet at any change has been able to come to agreement that there's not enough of a cheage here to warrant dissent within the city and has come to an agreement that, and when in addition those who have been most adamant about maintaining the height act, including the organization which has been the real guardian of the height act, the committee of 100, that it has no objection to this compromise, i think we finally reached a compromise of the kind that wed like to see more often occur right here in the house of representatives. and i will yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 4192

and i want to close by reminding people that this is in fact the best vetted piece of legislation for congress to pass in cooperation with the city in my tenure. 13 d.c. city councilmen signed on to a sense of congress -- sense of council introduced resolution in november that said the height act should not be amended at this time. all 13 now support this modest recommendation and i understand the additional member also would. i'm glad that the city council is seing this modest reform as in their favor, their benefit, to enhancing the beauty of those buildings, those few buildings, that reach the maximum of the height act. in closing, i think it's important that we echo what delegate norton just said. the vast majority of homes and buildings in the district of columbia are far lower than the

height act. in fact, it's a relatively small part, some people call k street and some other corridors, where the infrastructure of the city has pressed to occupy more densely. my hope is by maintaining the height, the total occupancy, these penthouses will enhance that property in many cases with cafeteria or peculiar access areas, while still continuing to induce people to make reasonable changes in outlying areas if in fact additional capacity is needed for residents of this city or in fact the thriving businesses of the city. madam speaker, we seldom come to you with a 100-year-old bill that hasn't been dusted off. we come to you with a 104-year-old bill, has not been dusted off and not for lack of a reason. the water towers of 1910 are gone. it's time for us to use this

space to maintain a view that is unmarred by high rises but in fact enhanced by the architectural creation, invention, ingenuity of architects who work and strive to make the buildings of washington, d.c. pleasant and functional. with that, i urge passage and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4192? those in favor say aye. -- as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed -- mr. gohmert: i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman request the yeas and nays. mr. gohmert: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested.

all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. issa: madam speaker, i rise and move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4194 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 309, h r. 4 94. a bill to provide for the elimination or modification of federal reporting requirements. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. issa, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, will each control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. issa: i yield myself such time as i may consume and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4194, the government reports elimination act of 2014. the government reports elimination act is spart of the committee's efforts to reduce waste and duplication in federal government. it eliminates 69 unnecessary agency reports to congress and eliminates or streamlines 10 reports required for the g.a.o., the general accountability office, under mandate. the congressional budget office eliminates -- i'm sorry. the g.a.o. and the congressional budget office estimate that h.r.

4194 will save several million dollars. that doesn't sound like a lot in the federal budget but think of the key people who have to prepare those reports. the people that are most knowledgeable of what's going on are often the people taken away for these reports. these reports were vetted by sending out to every chairman and every ranking member of congress and -- in the house and asking them do, they still need these reports? after going through multiple rounds, we determined that these were the reports that no member of congress, or no committee, any longer needed. this is a modest reform. i would like to have done a few more. in fact, i would like to make sure that to every congress, every two years a similar bill be brought, having asked people are those reports still needed? and eliminating the ones that are not. i'm assured that if we do so as we create 69 new reports every

year, we can eliminate 69 old reports, saving millions of dollars but more importantly freeing up the most valuable people often in the executive branch that must participate in the preparation of these. the modernization act of 2010 directs agencies and the o.m.b. to work together to identify outdated and duplicate reports to congress. in january of 2013, the office of management and budget posted a list on their website. these reports come from this list. madam speaker, i think enough has been said, the american people want us not to waste their money. congress has determined we should eliminate unnecessary reports. the office of management and budget has produced a list. we have culled through that list, worked with all the chairmen and give you this list today of savings. with that, i reserve the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the

district of columbia is rereck -- is recognized. ms. norton: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. as a member of the house oversight and government reform committee i rise in support of this legislation. i'm pleased to join my colleague and the chairman issa today in support of h.r. 4194, the government reports elimination act as amended. congress often requires reports from executive branch agencies and these reports can be a valuable tool to scrutinize performance and assess agency goals. however work the passage toof time orb of time, reporting requirements can become outdated and unnecessary. congress and the executive branch recognize in the government results act of 2010 that improves coordination across the federal government benefits the taxpayer and government alike. pursuant to that act, the office of management and budget

publishes a list of plans or reports that are produced by the executive branch pusuant to congressional mandate. the act requires the administration to identify potentially outdated or duplicative plans and reports and provide views of their elimination. in january, 2013, the office of management and budget reduced a -- produced a list that identified over 300 congressionally mandated plans and reports as potentially outdated and duplicative. majority and minority staff with our committee worked together to identify specific reports that are currently produced but should be eliminated. h.r. 4194 would eliminate the statutory requirements to prepare reports that are produced by 18 federal agencies. by reducing the number of reports that must be prepared and printed, implementing h.r.

4194 would reduce the adnorthive -- administrative costs of these agencies. the congressional budget office estimates that implementing the bill reduces the costs that are subject to appropriation by about $1 million over the next five years. the bill contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandates and would impose no costs on state, local and tribal governments. h.r. 4194 provides for greater efficiency for a more effective federal government with the elimination of duplicative or unnecessary reports. madam speaker, i strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: i'm prepared to close at this time. ms. norton: again, i strongly support this bill and i'm

pleased to yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: madam speaker, i urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 4194 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4194 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: hoim, i move to suspend the -- madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 298 amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 201, h.r. 298, a bill to direct the secretary of the interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the mill springs battlefield located in

plusky and wayne counties, connecticut, and the fees nlt of its conclusion in the national park system and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and extend their remarks and include material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. young: i yield myself such time as i may consume and at this time i yield to the gentleman, mr. rogers, for whatever time he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: i thank the chairman for yielding me this time. madam speaker, in the commonwealth of kentucky we have dozens of historic sites and landmarks that demonstrate our nation's proud history to thousands of visitors every

year. i am pleased that one of these sites is the mill springs battlefield which sits in my home county of pulaski and my birth home county of wayne, kentucky. the bill we have before us would give the national park service three years to complete a study on including this historic battlefield into the national park system. the battle of mill springs is a source of great pride and nterest to my constituents especially. in late 1861, con federate forces had -- confederate forces had advanced into kentucky on its southern border and on january 19, 1862, they lost an attack on the union army camp that was stationed at logan's crossroads, later to be called mill springs. after a heavy night of marching, the confederate

troops attacked but were driven ack with their commander being killed in the fighting. in the confusion, the union troops received reinforcements and were able to repel another confederate attack, this time driving them back into tennessee. did not his battle generate the number of casualties seen at such battles as others, it was a critically important battle and one of the first major union victories in the civil war. as a border state in the conflict between north and south, kentucky sat at a dangerous and strategically critical crossroads with both sides vying for control of its territory. in fact, president lincoln has been yoted -- has been quoted as saying, i hope to have god on my side, but i must have kentucky.

victory in the battle of mill springs held off the confederate advance into kentucky and laid the groundwork for later union successes at fort donaldson in now nashville, tennessee, in february, 1862. and at shiloh in april under general grant. despite the importance of this battle, like many battlefields throughout the country, the site of the battle of mill springs became threatened over the years by disrepair and development. in the early 1990's the u.s. department of interior classified the site of the battle of mill springs as one of the most endangered battlefields in kentucky. it might have slipped into the pages of history, with no living monument to it, had it not been for a group of concerned citizens in the community who came together in 1992 out of concern that the site would be lost forever.

today, thanks to the mill springs battlefield association , along with determination from state and local officials and the civil war trust and the national parks conservation association, hundreds of acres of battlefield have been diligently preserved. through a partnership of public and private funds, the association has constructed a fantastic 10,000-square-foot mill springs battlefield visitors center and museum, tablished an effortive signage and led walking tours of the battle. above all, they've created a vibrant tourist attraction which hosts thousands of visitors and students each year , preserving the memory of this historic battle for generations to come. and periodically, madam speaker, there is a reenactment of the battle at mill springs.

with thousands of participants from all across the country. after years of work, preserving this precious historic site, the mill springs battlefield association has expressed its desire to turn the site over to the national park service and the people of the united states so that the joy of learning and history will be enjoyed by many more people through the years. this bill, h.r. 298, will start this process by evaluating the feasibility of adopting this important site into the park service. i'm proud to associate myself with this effort and to have this battlefield and generous group of citizens in my district. madam speaker, our nation has been truly blessed. we have a remarkable array of natural beauty which people from all over this country and

the world flock to see. additionally, we have a great number of historical sites which have been dutifully and faithfully preserved so that new generations can appreciate what this country has been through and what their forefathers cared for. the mill springs battlefield is a jewel of this group and will be an excellent addition to the national park service. i'm proud of the work that they've done and i look forward to many years of this site being an inspiring and educational attraction for our nation. so i urge all of mying colleagues to -- all of my colleagues to support this bill and i thank the gentleman for yielding the time which i now yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from alaska reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would congratulate the

gentleman from kentucky on his eloquent description of mill springs and its significance in our history, in the civil war. it was declared a national historic landmark in 1993, but the gentleman makes an eloquent case that it should be upgraded from a national historic landmark to be looked at as a national -- a part of the national park system. this bill would allow the secretary of the interior to conduct a special resource study in anticipation of making this a part of the national park system. and i want to congratulate the gentleman on his advocacy and thank him for his dedication to protecting and promoting this resource and with that i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from alaska. mr. young: at this time i'll yield two minutes to mr. barr from kentucky, congressman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barrow: i thank the chairman and -- mr. barr: i thank the chairman and i would like to thank the gentleman from my home state, mr. rogers, for his advocacy of this important issue. and i appreciate yielding some time to talk about this legislation that i am proud to co-sponsor, which would study the feasibility of including the historic mill springs battlefield within the national park system. perhaps noes where more than the commonwealth of kentucky does the maxim that the civil war pit brother against brother ring truer. it never is he seeded. a slave-holding kentucky had rival union and con federate governments and was represented by the central star of the stars and bars. it is no exaggeration to say that kentucky families and

communities were often split along blue and gray lines. a border state at the nexus of the ohio and mississippi rivers, kentucky was a vital trategic -- of vital strategic importance to both causes. as chairman rogers pointed out, president abraham lincoln noted that i hope to have god on my side but i must have kentucky. the loss of the commonwealth been a significant blow to the cause of keeping the union in tact. both sides recognized this and so in the first two years of the war, some of the bloodiest fighting occurred in the commonwealth. major hostilities in the blue grass state were bookended by union victories at mill springs which largely ended the confed are asy's eastern -- confederacy's eastern kentucky offensive. and the end of the confederacy's hopes of victory in the campaign. the battle of mill springs is notable not only as the first

major battle in union victory in kentucky, but also the first battle of the western theater in which a confederate general, brigadier general felix kirk, would be killed in action. inclement weather, the night before the battle, had slowed the confederate infiltration of the area, costing them the benefit of a surprise attack. despite early successes by confederate troops, a union rally in the fog and gun smoke that clouded the dense woods sewed confusion and disarray among the rebels. as the confederate line lines fell back, the general was separated and mistakenly approached -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barr: i thank the gentleman. as the confederate lines fell back, the brigadier general was separated and mistakenly approached the fourth kentucky infantry and believing them to be his own troops, was cut down. the result of the battle of mill springs was a hasty retreat by confederate forces across the cumberland river,

back into tennessee. in hindsight, it was the last opportunity for the confederacy to gain a foot hold in eastern kentucky. for the union army, which had been humiliated at the battle of the summer of 1861, the battle was its first major victory of the war and a needed boost to morale. in 1991, the national park service placed mill springs battlefield on its list of most endangered battlefields. today thanks to the coordinated efforts of the mill springs battlefield association and several other public and private organizations the battlefield has been largely restored and now offers walking and driving tours as well as a 10,000-square-foot visitor center and museum. h.r. 298 is an important step to recognize and build upon the good work of these organizations and passionate civil war history enthusiasts from eastern kentucky and throughout the country. while the feasibility study would only be a first step in the process, inclusion in the national park system would help ensure that the story of mill springs and the battlefield

itself are prenched and maintained -- preserved and maintained for future generations and the memories and sacrifices of the fallen are never forgotten. i commend chairman rogers on his efforts to preserve this piece of american and kentucky history and i am a proud co-sponsor of h.r. 298. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from alaska is recognized. mr. young: i have no other speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 29 , as amended -- 298, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the able.

for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 930 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: union calendar number 159. h.r. 930. a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to conduct a special resource study of the archaeological site and surrounding left hand of the new philadelphia town scythe in the state of illinois and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise

and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. young: i yield myself such time as i may consume. at this time, i yield to congressman schock who authorized this bill for whatever time he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. schock: i want to thank the gentleman from alaska for yielding and his leadership on the committee to make these bills law. mr. speaker, new philadelphia, illinois, was the first town founded and built by a freed slave and it happened to happen before the civil war. today, this historic town in my district deserves designation as a national park and h.r. 930 will pave the way for official recognition. the man who founded new philadelphia was frank mcwhorter a kentucky slave who worked to buy his own freedom and that of his wife and 15 family members. at a time of immense cultural and political os hill --

hostilities over the issue of slavery, the mcwhorter family and other citizens of new philadelphia built a town where free americans, free african-americans, and european settlers lived and worked side by side. due to their hard work and strong faith, the scourge of racial violence never gained a foothold in the town, despite the upheaval around them. think of the significance of that. the people of new philadelphia built the dream of martin luther king, a full 127 years before his immortal words were spoke on the steps of the lincoln memorial. long before the supreme court ordered the desegregation of american schools, these illinoisan rrs teaching their children in the same classrooms, letting them play in the same parks, and drawing water from the same wells. the story of new philadelphia is a proud heritage for central illinois. and it deserves to be shared with all americans. today we are honored to have a direct descendant of frank

mcwhorter here with us in the gallery, sheena franklin. this family this town, are examples of the best of america and they accomplished it during the worst of our times. i also want to especially thank members of the new philadelphia association, especially charlotte king who have worked for more than a decade to document, preserve, and restore the extraordinary history of the town. it is through their efforts that this unique chapter in our history can predeserve for generations -- generations as a national park and i look forward to continue to work with them toward that goal. this is another step in the -- in racial justice, another stitch in the healing process for a nation once divide sod bitterly over the issue of slavery. i yield back the balance of my time and urge adoption of h.r. 9306789 the speaker pro tempore: -- h.r. 930.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: if the chair would indulge, i know new york is a ong way from oregon but we onounce it as oregon not ora-gone. this bill by the gentleman from illinois, he's already eloquently described the history and purpose, it is a historic history in new philadelphia and it certainly deserves more national recognition. in this case, the gentleman's legislation, h.r. 930 would direct the sec retear of the interior to discuss a special resource study of the new philadelphia archaeological

site, would require the sec retear to evaluate the national significance of the study area and determine the feasibility of designating a unit of the national park system. therefore we support this legislation. thank the majority and the gentleman from illinois for bringing up this and urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. defazio: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. young: i have no further speakers, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house pass h.r. 90 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3110 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 292, h.r. 3110 a bill to allow for this the harvest of gull tingit people within glacier bay national park in the stay of -- state of alaska. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from alaska, mr. young and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 20 minutes. mr. young: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. young: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. young: h.r. 3110 authorize thess secretary of the interior to rmit the huna tingit gather gull eggs. this harvest had been conducted long before the establishment by congress of a national park where the practice was forbidden by law. in 1980, congress passed the alaska lands act which among other things provided for subsistence use of natural resources on public lands by alaska residents. the gathering of gull eggs remained offlimits. a study determined the local native people should be able to resume their harvest of sea gull eggs at specific locations in the park. accordingly, i introduce h.r. 3110 to authorize the huna

indian association and the secretary of the sweeror to develop a plan. under h.r. 3110 the huna indians may harvest the eggs not more frequently than twice each calendar year from five locations in the park subject to any terms the secretary deems necessary. the subcommittee on indian alaska native affairs held a hearing on h.r. 3110 where the national park service testified in support of this bill. on february 27, the natural resources committee ordered the bill reported by unanimous consent. it allows a group of native alaskans to resume a -- an important tradition. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized.

mr. defazio: the collection and consumption of gull eggs is an integral part of the hunga people of southeast alaska. eggs were certainly gathered before the glacier pay national park was established. the recommendations on this bill are in accord with the recommendations of a study conducted. the harvesting of gull eggs would only have a minor i remember pact on fwulls, but the cultural benefits that would be realized by the native community would be great. i certainly applaud the gentleman from alaska for his leadership on this issue, i ask my colleagues to stand with him in support of this bill and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: i have no further requests for speakers, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3110 as amended?

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4032 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4032, a bill to exempt from the act of 1981 certain water transfers by the north texas water district and the greater tex ouma utility authority and for other purpose -- greater texoma utility authority and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: i ask unanimous

consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. young: at this time, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume but first let me recognize the author of the bill, mr. hall, for whatever time he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hall: thank you, mr. speaker. i do rise in support of h.r. 4032, north texas invasive species barrier act of 2014. the bill is a prime example of how both sides of the aisle can work together for the good of our citizens and as we know, water is our most vital resource and one of our primary needs and i'm grateful for congressional -- for congressman sam johnson and pete sessions for their sponsorship of this bill to enhance water resources for the people of north texas. i also would like to thank chairman hastings of the natural

resources committee and committee staff for their work in this measure and bringing this bill to the floor today and i thank the gentleman from alaska. across america have been infested with various invasive species. in the state of texas, our lakes have been infested with zebra mussels. i'm sure many of you have seen these in your states they started in new york and worked their way down to texas, to texas lakes. in december of 2012, the house and senate were successful in passing the north texas zebra mussel barrier act which became public law. it permits the north texas water district and the greater texoma utility district to pump water the ake texoma to into wylie waterplant -- plant where the zebra mussels

will be cleaned out. today's bill h.r. 4032 expands the exemption from zebra mussels to all aquatic invasive species and plants and will enable the north texas municipal water district to do their job. it does not encourage extra pumping to harm lake texoma's current low water levels. such action will better serve 1.5 million north texans in a manner that provides safe water and much-needed jobs. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation that provides safe and clean water to north texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from alaska reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: thank you, mr. chairman. with that, i yield myself such time as i may consume. h.r. 4032, the north texas invasive species barrier act provides a specific and necessary exemption to the lacey

theof 1981 that would allow transfer of watter that contains potentially invasive species from the oklahoma side to the texas side of lake texoma. the water will be treated and aquatic life will be removed. now another form of mussel have emerged as a threat. they are the bean of many a power plant, municipal water plant operator, hundreds of millions will be spent in the near future to deal with these problems, inflow-outflow pipes and other infrastructure. they also harm our fisheries by crowding out native species, taking their food, driving out native mussels toward extinction, the lacey act is vital to our nation's interests because it prevents or hopefully

prevents the spread of undesirable, injurious species leek zebra mussels. texas needs access to its water, the aforementioned entities have a comprehensive plan for ensuring the water transfers do not cause invasive species to spread. for those reasons, we support h.r. 4032 but we need to remember that this bill was put forward as a remedy to a very difficult, very unique situation, is not a precedent for a broad spread exemption from the lacey act. with that, i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: i yield mr. sessions five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. . mr. sessions: thank you very much. i thank the gentleman from alaska, the young former chairman of the committee, and want to thank the gentleman, ralph hall, the gentleman, sam johnson, also from north texas, that joined with me in this

important bill. i want to thank my friends on the democratic side, in particular mr. defazio, for his not only effort and understanding but his effort in making sure that water resources all across this country, the needs of the people are understood. mr. speaker, we're under increased problems all across this country, distressed because of lack of water. we have lots of areas of the country that are undergoing tremendous changes and that means that local people have to make accommodations. that also means that many times they have to work with the federal government, in this case through the u.s. corps of engineers. and i would like to also thank the u.s. corps of engineers and the north texas water municipal district for their hard work on this important issue. the opportunity for us to resolve this issue means that 1.5 million north texans who need to make sure that they have adequate, safe and good

water resources, that we can continue a plan in north texas that we agree to. we agree this is the right thing to do. we also agree that we're after the good lord to help us out with some rain. but in the meantime, the lord also says, those that help themselves, that that's the right way to do it. so we're trying to work together. today, as mr. hall has said, it's an opportunity to see where republicans and democrats, those people in washington, who have come to represent the american people, many of it's just from our home -- of us just from our home district, but many of us working together can work to resolve differences and problems that sometimes occur back home for the benefit of so many other people. so today i want to thank the chairman of the committee, doc hastings, for carefully reviewing, understanding, looking at what we're trying to do and making sure that if we showed up with a bill that had been well vetted back home, where we had agreement, where we knew what we were talking about, and tried to make it as

narrow as was necessary, but large enough to handle the issue, that we could move forward with this. this is the kind of leadership in washington, d.c., quite honestly, that we need. where we're challenged back home appropriately, where we have to bring our ideas to washington, where we have to in essence think with each other and then come up with a good plan. this is true of not just republicans and democrats in this instance, but also true of the corps of engineers. i want to thank the administration for their help in this effort. many times people can jump in the way of a great idea to help people, in this case it didn't happen. i'm in full support of h.r. 4032 as it stands tonight. many people in north texas will perhaps not even know what we're doing, but this will be a sigh of relief for those who do know what we're doing as we head into the very, very difficult summer months. this way people can plan forward and do the right thing. i want to thank mr. young for

not only allowing me to be on the floor today but for him scheduling time to have a bunch of texans be able to come and plead their case. it's my hope that this congress, this house of representatives will in fact support and agree to this and i yield back the balance of my time, reserve i'm sure for the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yielded -- yields -- yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: if the gentleman will listen for a moment. big brother is out to take a little brother. alaska is a big brother. texas is a little brother. this is a good bill and i want to compliment the texas delegation for supporting it, mr. hall especially, mr. sessions and mr. johnson. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4032, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without

objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4120. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 311, h.r. 4120, a bill to amend the national law enforcement museum act to extend the termination date. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska. mr. young: mr. speaker, i give myself as much time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. young: mr. speaker, h.r. 4120 provided a three-year extension to allow the national law enforcement officers memorial fund to be to begin construction of the national law enforcement museum. this fund was expended almost $30 million in private funds to complete this design, attain approvals and move all the utilities on site and preparation for construction. however, the authority to begin construction has expired and the extension will provide for the time necessary to secure adequate private funds to complete construction of the national law enforcement museum. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: i want to thank the gentleman from maryland for is advocacy on this issue. it's critical that we recognize the sacrifice of law enforcement officers on an ongoing day-to-day basis here

in the united states of america. those who have sacrificed, given their lives in the past, and those who will continue to serve selflessly into the future. and it's been -- in 1984 congress authorized the memorial fund for the national law enforcement officers memorial. and then nine years later congress passed the national law enforcement museum act to establish national law enforcement museum ajaysent to the existing memorial -- adjacent to the existing memorial and judiciary square. in raising money, even for the most meritorious of causes and developing, you know, a design acceptable to all of the affected parties, it's time consuming. a tremendous effort has been expended on this. they are making great progress. but they need a little bit more time and this legislation

brought to us by the gentleman from maryland would extend the deadline by three years, which most parties feel will be adequate to see the museum to completion. with that i would yield to the gentleman from maryland such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. hoyer highway i want to thank the gentleman -- mr. hoyer: i want to thank the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, and my friend, mr. defazio from oregon, for bringing this legislation to the floor. mr. speaker, i have co-sponsored this legislation with my dear friend, frank wolf , with whom i've served for 33 years. he'll be leaving but his father was a policeman in philadelphia. and so he has a strong attachment to this bill as well. our bipartisan bill will enable the construction that, as has been said, of the national law enforcement museum to move forward. in 2000 congress passed the national law enforcement museum act to authorize the development of plans for and the construction of a museum to

honor the nearly 20,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers who have fallen in the line of duty since 1791. all of them, mr. speaker, put their lives in danger to serve their communities and their country. leaving us with an enduring example of service and sacrifice. they are a part of our domestic defense corps. while we honor their memory each year at the national law enforcement memorial in may and on the west front as well, congress agreed that a museum would be a fitting way to tell their stories year-round, especially to the many school children who are expected to visit us every year and who will visit this museum as well. we extended the original authorization, as has been said, in 2010, and now after years of work to obtain permits , receive design approvals and

secure outside funding the national law enforcement officers museum fund is ready to break ground. the funds of course are private . but this is a public good and a public end. first it's up to congress therefore to re-authorize this project through 2016. so we can see this magnificent museum completed. in closing, let me congratulate craig floyd who worked in the congress, who has spearheaded this effort for a very long time. his leadership, his vision has made it possible for us to be n the cusp of realizing this museum's establishment. i therefore, mr. speaker, urge my colleagues to approve this legislation and again i thank mr. young and mr. defazio for bringing it to the floor and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

does the gentleman from oregon reserve? mr. defazio: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon yields back. the gentleman from alaska is recognized. mr. young: mr. speaker, i'd like to compliment mr. hoyer for his work and mr. wolf. they testified before the committee and i asked the question about the extension as far as the length of time, they've assured me it will be completed. i hope it will be completed. this is a memorial that should be open for the general public. our peace officers are sometimes overlooked so i urge the passage of this legislation as quickly as possible and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4120. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the -- the gentleman from alaska is recognized. mr. young: on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays

will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1501 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar 1501, a bill r. to direct the secretary of the interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the prison ship martyrs' monument in the new york city is it boruogh of brooklyn as the park system. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alaska.

mr. young: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material s on the bill unconsideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. young: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. young: mr. speaker, h.r. 1501 authorizes the national park service to conduct a study of the prison ship martyrs' monument in brooklyn, new york, to determine its eligibility to become a unit in the national park service. the prison ship martyrs' monument is a memorial to the more than 11,500 american prisoners of war who died in captivity aboard 16 british prison ships during the american revolutionary war. the study authorized by this legislation will determine if the site needs the test of national significance to provide different federal, local and nongovernment management proposals. e study's informing congress

would still have to act to designate the monument as a park and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield myself may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: mr. speaker, the legislation before us brought by the gentleman from new york has tremendous merit. this is a chapter of history that many of us have forgotten or didn't learn in school. but the 11,500 lives that were lost aboard a british prison ships while our country fought for its independence from the revolutionary war is certainly a very, very important national and nationally significant site. the site has been managed by the new york department of parks and recreation. but the gentleman from new york has rightly pointed out in his

advocacy that this should actually be a site that has national significance and he therefore has authored and hopefully will see passed today h.r. 1501 which would direct the secretary of interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the prison ship martyrs' monument in brooklyn, new york, as a unit of the national park system. i would hope that this legislation is broadly supported and with that i would yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. jeffries: i thank the gentleman for his support and leadership and for yielding, as well as to mr. young. the prison ship martyrs eamonn yumet pays honor to american revolutionnary war heroes and

patriots who lost their lives fighting for the nation's independence. the structure was first erected in 190208 memorialize and contain the remains of 11,500 patriots if the revolutionary war who died while in british custody on ships anchored in the east river immediately adjacent to look brin -- to brooklyn, new york. the british maintained approximately 15 ships during the war which became necessary after the limited land-based prison space reached capacity shortly after new york city fell to the british in august of 1776. these prisoners of war were housed in inhumane conditions, disease was rampant, and food and water were scarce. each ship typically contained more than 1,000 men and boys.

now more americans died in british cap tyity than in all of the battles of the revolutionary war combined. many perished on these prison ships. the deceased represent patriots from all 13 colonies and more than a dozen nationalities. according toly, this is one of e only -- cordly this is one of the only -- accordingly this is one of the only international prison memorials in the world. they could have obtained freedom had they acceded to requests to join the british forces. however, very few opted to save their own lives, instead believing in the promise of america. according to a written newspaper

account of the situation, american prisoners suffered so egregiously in part because the british refused to recognize them as enemy soldiers. which would have, of course, amounted to legitimizing the colonial government. and therefore denied them the base exrights ordinarily accorded to prisoners of war. it was not until 1908 that their remains were properly memorialized in a 149-foot tall doric column atop a 95-foothill in fort green, brooklyn, beneath which is the crypt. during the great depression the monument as a whole fell into disrepair due to a shortage of funds, neglect, and lack of public interest. the monument originally had four bronze eagles mounted to the

corner granite post. after repeatedly being vandalized the eagles were removed, never to be returned to the park again. this is emblematic of the overall treatment of the monument that continues for much of the previous century. in 2005, as part of a $3 million reconstruction project which took 18 months, the condition of the monument improved somewhat. however it is still under great threat and vandals continue to deface the property. this monument should be a place to memorialize forgotten martyrs and revolutionary war heroes. instead, it is now more frequently used as a skate park and casual recreation space. to that end, the potential designation of the crypt and the nps ent as a unit of the

should be studied given its national significance and the ability of the n.p.s. to protect it this estory of these brave heroes an the atrocity theas suffered has been descreened as one of the least-known accounts of the american revolution. i respectfully urge my colleagues in the house to support h.r. 1501, preserve the prison ship martyrs monument, and help illuminate the sacrifices made by these forgotten patriots and american revolutionnary war heroes. again, let me thank the distinguished gentleman, the ranking member, for his support and for his leadership as well as that of mr. young and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. does the gentleman from oregon reserve? mr. defazio: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alaska is recognized.

mr. young: i have no further speakers, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1501 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1rk the chair declares the house in recess until approximately

a congressman was indicted on 20 counts including mail fraud and perjury related to his former ownership of a manhattan restaurant. here is part of what he said. ink it is a sad day when someone who was a former marine who is an attorney, who is an accountant deliberately chose to turn his back on not only his oath, but his obligation. it is sad. it is an example of yet another public official that we have seen who has let their greed and their personal life implicate their actions even after they have taken office. this did continue into his time in office. it is very similar to other cases we have seen when politicians who have outside

businesses have not carried out those outside businesses with any degree of the responsibility that you would expect. frankly, not just from a public official, but from an average citizen. the obligation not to lie under oath is everyone's obligation. it is the same. hat was a prosecutor in the indictment. michael grimm reportedly turned himself into authorities just after the indictment was unsealed. we are going to hear more about what happened right now. >> emma dumane joins us. about michael grimm indicted on 20 federal counts. what are some of the main charges? quacks they relate to his ownership and operation of the health food store he weas thease onwewner of.

it was a health food store on the upper east side of manhattan. the charges against him relate withheldtions that he roughly $1 million from federal government over a three or four year period. he was not filing property tax returns. he was paying his employees under the table with cash. he was firing undocumented intermittent -- immigrants. setas maintaining a second up payroll records in order to hide the actual payroll situation that he had set up. he is also being accused of lying under oath in january of 2010. there was a lawsuit brought against him by two former employees saying that they were not paid overtime or minimum wage. michael grimm allegedly said that he did not use a personal e-mail account which the grand

jury said he did. they also said that he didn't talk about -- or denied he had paid employees in cash which prosecutors also said they have evidence. >> you have been writing about this. what has been his response? >> he has not responded to the charges directly. he held a press conference after his arraignment. a little after 1 p.m. today, he legal team would handle the charges and they would fight "tooth and nail." he said he would be seeking reelection in the fall. >> he is a former u.s. marine and has ruled -- looked at white-collar crime before. >> he became an undercover agent in the fbi.

the legal procedures here should not be new to him. he did call this a witchhunt. he said this was character assassination. he is not speaking directly about the charges saying that he is innocent. he has called himself a man of honor and integrity. a sitting member of congress, what rules to the house apply? >> there is nothing that could force him to step aside or step down. his leadership's response will play a blade roll determining what comes next and whether there was any pressure to step down. speaker weiner, leader cantor have not weighed in -n. boehner should say something tomorrow, if not before. we have historical precedents for members of congress being indicted and dealing with political scandals and still

serving. ted stevens was indicted and went to trial and was found guilty at the time in 2010. to -- went on to be defeated by his challenger. you had a situation a you used earlier -- a few years earlier. grimmfar as congress and is concerned, what about the house ethics committee? probably nottee has jurisdiction to get involved. the resume another investigation involving campaign finance fraud and allegations of misconduct leading up to his election in 2010. the ethics committee has held off on that in reference to the department of

justice posten investigation, especially with jurisdiction hey are supposed to investigate potential misconduct membersmbers are -- were responsible for when they were elected as members of congress. they would say the campaign finance allegations and these allegations related to the health food store happened after he gassed before he was elected -- before he was elected. i said thato say ted stevens was defeated but it was actually in 2008. on thelatest article indictment. you can find her at twitter and her work at rollcall.com. >> thank you. you are living in a world where you don't have monopolies anymore, yet multiple companies competing for consumers, that really does not

work when the laws were written for monopoly negotiation. that is one of the reasons consumers don't have as many options as they could have and why the prices are still going up for your television and video services. there was a whole lot of competition between completely different kinds of companies. when you're getting internet access or even watching tv, it used to be you watch tv or you had a cable provider. now there was everything from cell phone companies offering cable services to satellite companies. there is a lot more consumer choice. consumers are aware but that means we have to have the antitrust approach and make sure there are not monopoly providers engaged. >> we want to make sure -- certain they he to see releases all their information in a timely matter. we are going through an entire process of fcc reform this year.

we think the agency should be more transparent. they should focus on what they are doing with spectrum and licensing. that is their core mission. we don't want them getting off into net neutrality and trying to have the governance of the internet. it is time to narrow the focus and get them back to their core mission. tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. israel last week suspended peace talks with palestine after the ruling palestine liberation reservation announced a deal with hamas. meray ron der discussed the challenges in the conflict. [applause]

thanks, michael. when it came time for israeli prime minister and jim and netanyahu to choose a new ambassador to the united states, he selected one of his closest advisers, someone who had a deep understanding of both israel and the united states. dedicated hiss life to serving the state of israel and promoting strong u.s.-israel he relations. ambassador ron dermer was born and raised in miami beach. ambassador dermer "the case forbook democracy. -- democracy."

into 10 been translated languages. he became a senior advisor to try minister netanyahu. in this capacity he was labeled brain by a magazine. decemberd his post in 2013 and resides here with his wife and their five children. mr. ambassador, it is an honor to have you here today. >> thank you. aha. i have to say that is the strangest texas accent i have ever heard. [laughter] to be hereasure today. this room is very wide and narrow, the opposite of israel, so i suppose the podium should be facing this way.

i understand you will be giving an award to build earns. burns. i do not want to complement a person in his presence. it is not something we do in israel. [laughter] bill burns proves you can be a first-rate diplomat and a first-class mensch. i want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak you today, particularly today. as many of you know today is holocaust remembrance day. in israel on this day the jewish state remembers the most perfect time in the history of the jewish people. it is a day we reflect on the past and we recommit ourselves to making sure that the phrase never again is not nearly an empty click sharing. it is also a time to recognize the condition of the jewish people is fundamentally

different than it was 75 years ago on the eve of the holocaust. our condition is not different because there is no longer hatred toward the jewish people. day.ee that hatred every you see it in the pledges of the iranian regime to wipe israel off the map. you see it in the terror ism. and you see it in the murders action of a modern-day not see near kansas city. the hatred is there. that hatred is there despite the hopes of the founder of modern zionism. believedand in fact that the establishment of a make thatht would hatred toward the jewish people fade away. turneda man whose vision him pretty much into a modern-day prophet. that hatred for

the jewish people would and with the birth of jude choice -- with the birth of the jewish state was mistaken, and it turned itself on its head. 100 years ago people thought if i stab -- if by establishing the jewish state you will and hatred to this jewish people. now it is if you dismantle the jewish state you will stop the hatred to the jewish people. 1930's,920's and the what the anti-semites said in europe was, jew, good the palestine. miteshat the anti-se is, jews, get out of palenstine. the birth of israel enabled the jewish people to fight. fundamentally transform the can to shining -- the condition of the jewish people.

it transformed it providing the jewish with two things they did not have on the eve of the holocaust. first and most important is the capacity to defend ourselves. the capacity to defend ourselves. this is the reason why israel exists today. it is said that the you and created the state of israel. that is false. ben-gurion to cleared israel's independence, and the army, the newfound army of the jewish state defended israel against attack. all the declarations of the united nations would not have helped the jewish people one iota if israel had lost that war of independence or lost any war, for that matter. what has protected the jewish state has been the capability of the jewish people to defend themselves. the has enabled us to build remarkable country that we have

today. after 66 years, a global high-tech power, a pioneer in medicine, science, a leader in the world in agriculture, in water, and those of you who have been to israel no that we are a place teeming with innovation and culture and creativity. i tell people when i go to israel, i say you better buckle ready for the right, because israel is the most intense place on the planet. israelis go to manhattan to unwind. [laughter] israel is an exciting place. we built that because we have the capability to defend ourselves, and that is the reason why we have navigated israel through some very choppy seas in the last to use. very choppy seas, at a time when the middle east is seeing budget and violence everywhere. israel has remained an island of

stability, and that is a credit to the robustness of israel's strength and to netanyahu. along with the capacity for self defense we also have something else we did not have 75 years ago on the eve of the holocaust. we have a voice. the jewish people have a voice. you hear that voice sometimes when a prime minister of israel speaks at the united nations or when an israeli ambassador like me and my counterparts throughout the world have the privilege in speaking in the upld's capitals, speaking for israel and the rights of the jewish people. we are not alone. this is why i come to you. as you heard, i was born and raised in florida. mother was born in pre-state israel. i was born in miami beach, and somehow all those abl

newsletters were strewn all newsletters were strewn all across the house. i remember reading them a lot them and i learned something about the adl. you taught me something important early on, that in defending the rights of the jews, you were defending the rights of everybody else. in defending the rights of everybody else can you were defending the right of the jewish people. , decade afteryear decade, under the remarkable leadership of a foxman and many other summit we are not letting you go. this swansong we are hoping the prime minister gave me instructions to make sure that your swansong lasts for a few decades, but a few months. under your leadership and leadership of many people in this room, you have raised your voice loudly to defend the rights of the jews and to defend the rights of everybody who is facing discrimination and

persecution. i'm here today first and foremost to say thank you, and i cannot think of a better day to express that thanks than on holocaust memorial day. thank you for giving meaning to the words never again by making clear that you will never be silent again. brieflyant to talk before i get your questions about two challenges that israel is facing. first, the need to prevent iran from developing nuclear risk and -- nuclear weapons, and israel's pursuit of peace. on iran plus nuclear program, i know sometimes all these issues are thrown at you, you watch the news cycle, and one day something is happening in ceric egypt, and now it is the path between -- that path between thomas and the palestinian between -- between thomas and the palestinian authority.

israelstate clearly what 's policy is. our policy is simple. let iran have only a peaceful nuclear program and nothing more. that is israel's policy. the truth is we all know that i peacefulnot need a nuclear program. iran is awash in oil and gas. assad slaughter tens of thousands of civilians, stop beating massive chance -- calling, stop arming for terror groups that fire thousands of artists at our cities. being a rogue regime, and they take advantage of all their wonderful natural

resources to their heart's delight. diplomacy demand that iran be allowed to have a peaceful nuclear program, so be it. but there are 17 countries around the world that have useful nuclear energy. they do not enrich uranium on their sorrel. they do not stockpile enriched uranium. they do not have underground enrichment bunkers. they do not have heavy-water facilities. iran needs none of these things. and it insists on having them. you know why? interestedn is not in peaceful nuclear energy. iran wants nuclear weapons. the p5 plus one, the leading powers in the international community, is not let iran keep its nuclear weapons infrastructure. it's capability to produce nuclear weapons. the only deal that should be acceptable to the international community is one which fully

dismantles iran's nuclear weapons capability. one more thing that has to be dismantled. a lot of people are not talking about it. that is iran's long-range ballistic missile program. iran is developing icbm's. the missiles they have can already reach well beyond israel. and is developing icbm's, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the only person fors -- the only purpose such a missile is to carry a nuclear warhead. in the real world, icbm's carry nuclear payloads. iran wants what it says it wants, a peaceful nuclear program, that it has no need for icbm's, no need for them at all. if iran insists on keeping its icbm's, then the jig is up.

smokingcbm's are not a gun. they are the smoking missile. they tell you everything you want to know. you need to know. and gentlemen is very concerned about the current escutcheons with iran -- current escutcheons with iran, because all signs point to the p5 plus one accepting a deal that would leave iran with a nuclear weapons-making capability, essentially intact. their icbmn address program. the deal now being considered thousandse iran with of centrifuges, thousands of kilos of enriched uranium, a heavy-water facility can and an advanced missile program. such a deal would effectively threshold as a nuclear power. at best, a few months away from having the fissile material

necessary to build a nuclear weapon. such a deal would be a much worse situation than we have today. while iran is now two or three months away from having that this'll material, they are under tremendous pressure because of the sanctions. , they would be only marginally further away from getting that fissile material, but the pressures on them would be drastically reduced. the interim deal, your member last year, was supposed to have had iran take a tiny step back in exchange for what was hoped would be a small reduction of the sanctions. the fact thatates the obama administration is doing everything it can to try to make sure that the sanctions regime did not unravel. they are working very hard to prevent this from happening, and we appreciate it. but an agreement with the p5 plus one itself would willingly

unravel the sanctions regime against iran in return for iran parking a short distance away from having the fissile material necessary for a nuclear weapon, would be a terrible mistake. it would leave iran as a threshold nuclear power and leave the world on the threshold of an abyss. it might prevent iran from having a nuclear weapon today, but it would ensure that iran has a nuclear weapon tomorrow. that must not be allowed to happen. iran's nuclear weapons it ability and long-range missile capability must be fully dismantled. that is israel's position and it will not change. the prime minister yesterday clear as heas as

could be. i encourage you to read exactly what he said. this nuclear weapons capability must be fully dismantled. let me address in a couple of minutes israel's impasse with the palestinians. and explain israel's position regarding the recent pact that president abbas signed with hamas. teas is an unreformed rrorist organization. it openly calls for israel lost destruction, is committed for destruction. bombs sent thousands of to our discotheques, our buses. hamas denies the holocaust, and its charter calls for the murder of jews worldwide.

three years ago hamas condemned nge united states for killi osama bin laden, and two weeks ago some of you read this, hamas praised the murder of an average really who was gunned down with his car while driving to a seder. that is hamas. it said you make peace with enemies. acileis a completely f statement. with people amaze who want peace. hamas has not changed. it has now recognize israel's right to exist. it has not abandoned terrorism. if hamas does recognize israel's right to exist from if it renounces terrorism, it would be a different story. then hamas would no longer be

hamas. it has not done any of those things. because of that, palestinian is not a unity for peace, it is a unity against peace. israel were not initiate peace with the palestinian government backed by hamas. it does not matter to israel if the government that is established after this agreement is a technocratic government that will serve as a front that says all the right things. office, is in the back israel will not be at the negotiating table, period. [applause] we have said for a long time that the problem with the palestinian leadership is half is committed to israel's destruction and the other half is not willing to confront that

half. abbas wentresident from not confronting hamas to breaking hamas. yes to choose, peace with israel or a pact with hamas. he chose hamas. peace.nt abbas chooses we can go back to the negotiating table, and israel wants peace. we are committed to it. states a solution of two for two peoples. the prime minister is fully committed to it. he has made sacrifices to achieve it can and will continue to make the tough decisions necessary to a dance piece, but we need a partner committed to peace and not one which is making a pass with hamas. israel faces enormous challenges, and there is much concern in this room and other rooms throughout america and throughout the world, how will israel navigate the very rough seas ahead? let's keep things

in perspective. among grandparents come and great-grandparents of virtually everyone in this room would have done anything to trade their problems with ours. today the jewish people are no longer a powerless people. today we have a jewish state. today we have an army that can defend that state. and israel is not alone. we have the support of so many friends around the world, especially in this great country, the united states. friends who know israel's cause is just. the jewish people have weathered the worst that history can throw at us. we will weather this storm as well. on this holocaust day, as we remember this horrific past, as we recommit ourselves to the fight against anti-semitism, racism, discrimination, all

forms of prosecution, we should stand tall and very proud because we are uniquely blessed, a uniquely blessed generation. best the united states of america, the country that has been the greatest force for good in the history. we are blessed to have the as thestates tha preeminent power of the world, and we are blessed to have jewish sovereignty in modern time, and with a renewed hope for secure and peaceful jewish future. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. we have a few questions from the audience. is, what is the likelihood of numerous other

countries obtaining nuclear weapons if iran gains nuclear -- howity, and what is does that play into the strategy for the united states and israel? concern,k it is a huge not something that i mentioned here today, but certainly it would basically turn all the nuclear proliferation efforts -- you would essentially in attempting to stop one country from getting nuclear weapons, by leaving iran as a nuclear power, you would open up a pandora's box. if you just allowed a country that has violated six united nations security council resolutions on its nuclear program, to be a threshold nuclear power, to have enriched -- the right to enrich uranium on its are, how can you go to any country and tell them you cannot enrich uranium on your soil? every country will man that

right. it is important to understand the idea behind the peaceful spread of nuclear energy was to essentially prevent countries from domestically and rich in uranium. there are two bank paths to building industry and -- building a nuclear weapon. if iran does not have a heavy water personality, it does not have a plutonium path. there's also a uranium path, and the way you can be sure that iran will not have a nuclear weapon is to not allow it the ability to enrich uranium on its oil. that to iran, i know the people of iran at a very young age talk about life, liberty, and the right to enrich uranium. if you leave the arabian people with this ability to enrich uranium, you will see many countries throughout the world, certainly in the middle east,

that will demand that right, and how are you going to prevent them from having it? what are you going to say to them? sponsor ofe foremost terrorism in the world with the ability to enrich uranium, so you will stop other countries? i will not name the countries i will do it, but you will see at least three or four in the middle east and you will see a few countries beyond. we are very concerned. i will say one other thing about it. nuclear proliferation is not the most important concern we have, because we have are regime in iran that is openly calling for our destruction. and people put the threat of nuclear proliferation as the number one concern, i am a little puzzled, ensure that they are not fully determined to prevent this threat, because when my neighbor across the street says he is going to kill me, my big concern when that ak-47 is a shift in the mail to him is not that my otherneighbors are going to get as well.

our concern with iran is unique because iran calls for our destruction. the nature of the regime matters. remember this as well. in north what you had korea would move 50 miles to the south, no one would lose any sleep over it. all nuclear proliferation is bad, but it makes a different whether holland has nuclear weapons or a country like iran has nuclear weapons. [applause] a question about domestic issues in israel. what is israel doing to aid and assist its israeli arab citizens? >> to aid and assist? iaeli arab citizens are -- talked about uniquely blessed -- they are uniquely blessed to live in a free country. israeli arabs enjoy the rights that no other arabs in the region and joy, and they can be full members of israeli society.

i think israel should not be embarrassed of what has happened in the last 65 years regarding israeli arabs. we should be proud, because we have built a thriving democracy. it is not perfect. you always have room for improvement. in all societies on earth, you can always improve it. srael understand something -- israel should not be judged by the standards of dictatorships. you are a democracy and should be judged by those standards. rael by the standards of a democracy that is threatened. israel is the most threatened nation on the face of the year. the fact that we have been able to build this vibrant democracy in the face of all these threats is astounding, and the only way i can explain it in current american terms, remember the feeling in the united states on september 12, the day after the

attacks on september 11. remember the concern you had for security, and also side is heavy debate, where should you draw the line between security and civil liberties, and over time that the bait changes. as you feel secure, your demands change. understand something, israel has been in september 12 for 66 years. for 66 years. not only will i not apologize for israel's record, i am very proud of israel's, record and we will continue to work to improve that record. we will continue every day to try to be better, to be a better democracy, as the united states ys, to be a more perfect union. the wild allegations against israel are false, should be challenged, should be rejected, and we should be proud of the country we have dealt. [applause]

thank you. andquestion of settlements construction in israel he settlements on the west bank has an outside importance in the media. could you comment on the public relations and communications challenges posed by the settlement question? a big challenge, because if you repeat something over again, it becomes conventional wisdom. there used to be people who would say that the reason why you have problems in the middle east is because israelis and palestinians have not resolve their conflict. you remember that? core of the reason, the the problem of the middle east. there were serious people who would stand before podiums like this and make that type of statement. lastsince the events of two years in the middle east, not a single person on the planet -- maybe a few people who

believe that, i do not. i have not encountered many of them. i think there are probably still commonest sitting in certain departments in some universities somewhere. it is not a serious argument. when it comes to this argument that the settlements are the reason why did do not have peace between israelis and palestinians is an absurdity. the conflict between israelis and palestinians went for 60 years before the result single settlement. my prime minister has spoken about it for -- over and over again. the 50 years of conflict before that. everyone says go back to the lines of june 4, 1957 -- >> going live now to the house for votes on measures debated earlier. rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 555, resolution providing for

consideration of the bill, hmplets r. 4414, to clarify the treatment under the patient protect and affordable care act of health plans in which ex patriots are the primary enrollies and for what purpose does. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on the motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 7192 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 4120 by the yeas and nays. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. issa, to suspension of the 7192. nd pass h.r.

the clerk: h.r. 4192, a bill to amend the act entitled an act to regulate the height of buildings in the district of columbia to clarify the rules of the district of columbia regarding human occupancy of penthouses above the top story of the building upon which the pept house is placed -- penthouse is placed. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will clarify, it's h.r. 49 -- 4192. the members will record their votes by electronic device. this vote is for 15 minutes. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

>> prosecutors say michael grimm has abated taxes by vance mcallister told that he would complete his two-year term and not seek reelection. that is reported in the washington post. the announcement comes amid his call for resignation after a video surfaced of him kissing a former staffer. also, the house ethics committee says that they've extended investigation of republican representative from texas until

june. ckman is in his second term representing the task the houston area. the houston chronicle is reporting -- reported last year that two stockman staffers were worth -- were fired in october for making permit it -- prohibited occupations. we are going to take a look at a preview of what is coming this spring and summer. >> give us the highlights of what you are watching from president obama. talk about some issues. >> has been an interesting trip for him. the president has made a point

of saying that it was not about containing china. he went to four different countries, china, and japan, malaysia, and the philippines. a lot of people have been watching it as a china containment tour. his last stop was that the united states announced a new pact with the philippines that will lead to more military being allowed to return to those islands. it has been very interesting watching deal of that. china and the u.s. have a very important relationship and that is something the united states is very interested in maintaining and improving, but the allies in that region are worried about the rights of china as well. lawmakers are returning after a two-week vacation. what can we expect to see on the hill? i wouldn't look for a

whole bunch happening, at least this week or the -- or over the next two months. the congress is debating spending bills for the coming years. ist of what is happening already gearing towards november election. nader is a big month for primaries but a lot of the attention is back in the home state. mitch mcconnell faces is primary in may. there was a couple of heated ones. the biggest tea party versus the republican races is and i go -- is in idaho. role is theg of a 2014 primaries playing? guest: it is overshadowing everything that is happening. the only thing that moves are things that have to move like spending legislation. there is messaging votes. the big thing happening in the senate -- they're going to be talking about trying to hike the minimum wage.

that is what they are going to be talking about. republicans want to talk about of vote, and irs targeting scandal. that will give extra scrutiny. that is to motivate the .epublican

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 367, the nays are 16. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business on this vote on the motion of the the gentleman from alaska, mr. young, to suspend the rules and

pass h.r. 4120, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 11, h.r. 4120, a bill to amend the national law enforcement museum act to extend the termination date. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 384 and the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir. in light of recent events, i am writing this letter to respectfully request to be removed from my position on the house financial services committee, upon a successful resolution of pending legal matters, my intention is to resume said position as an active member of the committee. respectfully submitted, michael g. grimm, member of congress.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania ise? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, my friend, sister, has served as president of holy family university for 32 years and is recognized as an outstanding and effective administrator. she led the expansion of the institution in philadelphia while maintaining the integrity of its educational philosophy. the sister guided holy family to its university status.

she expanded enrollment, including the endowment fund substantially. mr. fitzpatrick: she also obtained leadership positions in educational associations including charter president of the southeastern pennsylvania con shortum for higher education -- consortium for higher education, and the united nations commission on disarmament education, conflict resolution and peace. she addressed the commission's goal to nurture peace concepts through education. by establishing outreach programs in africa. the sister is being honored in philadelphia for a life of faith, grace and achievement. her family and friends and associates look forward to the future accomplishments of this most remarkable woman. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to read into the record a number of votes that i missed because i was unavoidably detained.

for the memorial services at fort hood, texas, on april 9, 2014, and for honoring president lyndon baines johnson on april 10, 2014. i ask unanimous consent to place in the record on roll call vote number 171, the substitute amendment of mullvania, would have voted no. on roll call vote number 172, these involved the budget resolution, on the congressional black caucus budget, i would have voted yes. on roll call vote 173, on the progressive caucus budget, i would have voted yes. and on roll call vote number 174, on the ex patriot health care clarification act, i would have voted no. that finishes the votes on april 9. i would ask unanimous consent that the april 9 votes be placed appropriately in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman's statement will appear in the record. ms. jackson lee: on april 10, on roll call vote number 175, on the woodall of georgia substitute budget amendment, i

would have voted no. on roll call number 176, the democratic alternative for mr. van hollen, i would have voted yes. april 10, and on roll call vote 177, the republican fiscal year 2015 budget resolution, mr. ryan, i would have voted no. this concludes the votes that i missed due to the memorial at fort hood and the honoring of president lyndon baines johnson. i ask unanimous consent that it be appropriately placed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman's statement will appear in the record. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today as a member of the safe climate caucus, to highlight an important program for resiliency and preparedness. america's preparathon is taking place this wednesday, while we hope for the best we must prepare for the worst.

in california, 1,108 wildfires have been reported this year, well above the year-to-date average. in 2003 and 2007 wildfires devastated communities in the san diego region, especially affecting the 57th -- 5 nd district -- 52nd district communities and claiming 29 lives. the preparathon is a national day to focus attention on resiliency, as well as exercises and drills that can save lives in a disaster. last year i introduced the bipartisan strong act to equip communities and state and local governments with better information and data on preparedness so we don't reinvent the wheel with every disaster. mr. peters: while there's debate in this chamber among climate change, there isn't among scientists, we must prepare our community, families an businesses for the hurricanes, more powerful storms, wildfires and droughts that are becoming more common and powerful every day. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, last week i traveled with a bipartisan delegation to see firsthand the situation on the ground in putin's ukraine. the napoleon of siberia has driven its tanks over the administration's reset button. he launched a blitzkrieg-style aggression, stole crimea and he doesn't appear to be through. the west's response to putin's aggression has failed to stop his crusade. he does not fear the united states. with our response so far, why should he? instead of retreating, putin has brought back his imperialistic tactics from the old soviet playbook. the consensus on the ground, the worst is yet to come. it's time for the administration to stand up against putin. we must implement sanctions that actually work. they will hurt russia's economy the most and start with the

financial and energy sectors. we must expedite the approval of u.s. natural gas export permits so ukraine and other european countries can buy american instead. and we can end russia's monopoly over europe when it comes to energy. we must put the russian bear back in the cage and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: joyer. -- the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to recognize a holocaust remember ans day. all over the world -- remembrance day. all over the world, people like a south floridian who is currently in poland on the march, are honoring the memories of those who suffered and died. we must also redouble our commitment to the survivors who are still with us. this past sunday i had the privilege of attending a ceremony in miami beach

holocaust memorial. mr. garcia: and hearing from the survivors. it is unacceptable that billions are still owed to deserving survivors and that many insurers have made it nearly impossible for beneficiaries to create, collect their payments. these are men and women who suffered from unimaginable physical and emotional pain and who carry their injuries and scars to this day. we must do right by them. i urge my colleagues to honor the dead as well as the living and take action to return what is due to the holocaust survivors. thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one inute. , mr. speaker, one week ago

the soccer team left home, sugar land, texas with a dream. they came home a few days later living their dream, 5a champions in texas. the rangers were upside dogs in the final bus behind a raucous crowd and led by coach erickson they coached defending champs coppell by a score of 3-0. mr. olson: the rangers start a new tradition, they did something no ranger team had done before. they won state. and they gave me a new tradition. because every time they win a championship in the future, i get to rearrange the styrofoam cups in the chain link fence that surrounds clements high school on elkins road.

ranger pride is alive and well in sugarland, texas, they are the 2014 state champions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. april 26 marked world intellectual property day and this year's theme, movies, a global passion that truly represents the importance of innovation and creativity to my district and our entire country. today this industry extends beyond hollywood studios the millions involved in the film making process, whether it's working in the industry or watching films on the big screen, people of all ages are captivated by movie magic. not only does the industry bring enjoyment across the globe, it's a huge economic engine for california and the entire united states. mr. cardenas: intellectual

property protections will ensure the film industry continues to fuel the economy and keep jobs right here in the united states of america. today let's celebrate the ingenuity of the film industry and continue to defend the intellectual property rights that led us tissue let us all experience a little magic. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to congratulate the lions club for their anniversary. the coon rapids lion club has played an i want fwral role in their community. more than 500 members have donated their time, money, and energy in supporting endeavors that benefit the local area and its residents. for instance the lions club has helped youth in coon rapids by financially supporting school, scouting, athletic organizations and founding literacy programs that provided over 110,000 books

to students. mr. paulsen: they also donated tens of thousands of dollars of scholarships to local high school and college students. in addition, they'll be marking their 45th anniversary of service this year as well. the coon rapids lions and lioness clubs are proof of how people can make a difference in our communities. they deserve our thanks and praise. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: over the last week, there was an unseemly, sad connection between a supreme court decision, the comments of mr. bun di, and the comments -- mr. bundy, and the comments of the los angeles owner in the nba. justice sotomayor had it right

in response to the affirmative action decision -- it perpetrates harm to native american, african-american and other students but also caused harm to michigan public school whence they tried to ensure the next generation of diverse persons to be part of new america. mr. bundy's comments about wouldn't we be better off as slaves, picking cotton, were outrageous and disgusting. and sadry, the national basketball association that brings people together, the owner decided to talk about not putting black people and others together in a public setting. america must move beyond that and we as members of congress and o's must stand against it and denounce it. this was a sad week, i hope we'll move beyond it, i hope we'll get better and i hope we'll denounce those ugly, outrageous comments. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has eblings pyred. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute

and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. healthy hted to wish a and happy 5th birth dito sister jean o'laughlin. for 23 years she served as the largest at the fourth private university in my home state of florida. it is because of her enthusiasm in taking on such a challenging responsibility that the university has now expanded from 16 buildings to 55 buildings on its campus and increased enrollment to more than 9,000 while maintaining its goal of academic excellence. sister jean has also been an active member of our community in civic and professional associations and has been the recipient of several accolades related to her work. she became the first woman to be a member of both the orange bowl

committee and the nongroup of miami-dade community. the south florida community is truly bless to have had the benefit of sister jean's experience. her tenacity is a beacon of hope to is all. happy birthday, sister jean, and many more. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? without objection the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to acknowledge the union college dutchmen hockey team and congratulate the players on winning their first ncaa division i championship. they wrapped up a dream season on april 12, defeating minnesota 7-12 in the finals. union college, with just 2,200 students, a college that doesn't even give out athletic scholarships, overcame the big

ten giant to become national champions. the union dutchmen are a reminder that it does not matter how big you are or whether the average person can pronounce the city you represent, persistence, selflessness and will power can achieve great things from schenectady to cities around the world to the union hockey team that lit up the scoreboard, i thank the union hockey program, its players, their parent, the head coach bennett, the faculty and staff for inspiring us all with an unforgettable season. go, dutchmen! with that i yield back the balance of my tile. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today -- mr. gohmert: today, sec retear of state kerry accused the jewish people of israel of risking guilt for the crime of apartheid he said that about

israeli jews who the u.n. unanimously provided a nation after the worst genocide in world history. secretary kerry is both ignorant of history and of the offense of apartheid. he's effectively cursed israel. it's not israel who sent suicide bombers against palestinians nor denied the right of palestinians to work in israel nor advo kayed for completely wiping them off the map nor taught their children in their textbooks to hate others like vermins or rats, named landmarks for murderers with suicide bombs, nor launched rockets every day hoping to terrorize and kill innocent people. it's israel that's fought against such racism and hatred. secretary kerry stands for those who support the destruction of israel. he should not be speaking for this nation. he needs to stand down before he brings judgment against us. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to address the state of knowledge about climate change and the impact it will have on our nation. mr. honda: secretary of state john kerry called climate change the greatest challenge of our generation. al gore was the first to call us to action more than 30 years ago, even as courageous leadership still have not take then necessary actions. the number of americans who do not believe in climate change has increased since last year and this is unacceptable. our citizens need to be informed about climate change and the very real consequences it holds for all of us. this is why i introduced the climate change education act of 2014. the climate change education act would create formal and informal

education opportunities for all age groups. it will ensure people understand the complexity and seriousness of the problems we are facing. it will also give them ways to start fighting climate change. climate change impacts every ecosystem on earth. our oceans, forests, rivers, lakes and everything that lives in them. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. honda: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. griffin of arkansas for monday, april 28. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced spoil of january 3, 2013 -- policy of january 3rks2013rk the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions is recognized for 60 minutes as designee of the majority leader. mr. sessions: thank you very much.

tonight, republicans from the ways and means committee, from the agriculture committee and from the rules committee intend to speak with the american people and to you, mr. speaker, about the importance of trade. trade policies, the implications of growing jobs in not just america but also our world role where we work with other nations to ensure that the benefits and the great things which we not only create here in the united states but also use as trading elements around the world, that each of these issues will be thoughtfully discussed and appropriately given an item of what i believe is encouragement as this united states congress moves forward into its last few months of this second term. we believe that trade is important. we believe that as the united states continues to grow in its respect for others, that we share intellectual property but expect the same back from others. we trade with our partners

around the globe, with an expectation of not only a good product but also an even playing field as we deal with others around the world. so, mr. speaker, tonight, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this important topic of this great special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, i rise tonight because we want and need to understand more about the inchations -- implications of trade, pro trade growth agenda and the opportunities that lie before not just the american people but the united states house of representatives to further understand this key and critical issue that is a part of job creation for the american people. expanding trade throughout the globe creates economic growth and good-paying jobs here at home. trade works because it allows america to be globally efficient

and to compete all around the globe trading our products for others. and when america competes, i believe america wins and the world is a better place. history shows that allowing greater access to a global marketplace for american exports has always been a powerful engine for economic growth and job creation. trade provides new opportunities for businesses and spurs innovation and entrepreneurs. opening our market to world imports also helps increase the purchasing power of american consumers. i believe there is a balance here and it is part of this balance and the miracle of having a pro-growth trade agreement which we republicans wish to speak about tonight. mr. speaker, i first would like to welcome a young man who sits on the ways and means committee, a relatively new member, a second term member from indiana.

todd young represents not only an opportunity for him to bring forth ideas from the heartland of america but also his expertise as a member of the united states military. ideas about world affairs and most of all about jobs in america. i defer to the gentleman at this time, mr. young. mr. young: i thank my good friend, the chairman from texas, for his leadership on this and so many other issues. i am a passionate proponent of free trade because we have the most productive workers in the world, the most productive businesses in the world and frankly we need to open up new markets for our commodities, for our manufacturing items, for our services and that's what this initiative is all about. . t.p.a. reflects decades of debate, cooperation and compromise between congress and the executive branch in finding a pragmatic accommodation to the exercise of each branch's

respective constitutional authorities over trade policy. i applaud our ways and means committee chairman camp as well as chair mmp sessions and chairman nunes for all of their hard work pushing renewal of trade promotion authority. in january they together introduced the bipartisan congressional trade priorities act which updates and expands negotiation and consultation requirements. now, for me, supporting trade is a no-brainer. it's important back home in indiana, where over 8,000 companies exported from locations within the state in 2011. 85% of these companies were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees. indiana's export shipments of merchandise in 2013 totaled a whopping $34 billion. 54% of indiana's exports go to countries with whom the u.s.

currently has a free trade agreement. and trade is important for the strength of our entire country's economy. trade supports in total more than 38 million jobs across america. u.s. exports accounted for 14% of america's gross domestic product in 2012 alone. and t.p.a. is the only way we can successfully bring international trade negotiations to a close and unlock job-creating opportunities for these u.s. exports. now, the administration has laid out a bold 2014 trade agenda and is currently negotiating a regional free trade agreement, t.p.p., with asia-pacific countries, another regional trade agreement with 28 member countries of the european union and a trade and services agreement with 22 other countries. combined, u.s. negotiations related to the asia-pacific and

e.u. agreements would open markets with nearly one billion consumers. covering nearly 2/3 of the global economy and 65% of global trade. tsa -- t.s.a. covered about 50% of the global economy and over 70% of global services trade. as a co-chair of the house caucus, the ongoing u.s.-e.u. negotiations are of particular interest to me. the transatlantic economy is the largest and most integrated in the world, comprising 50% of global g.d.p. and generating approximately $5 trillion in total commercial sales each year. the e.u. and u.s. account for 30% of world trade and $2.7 billion of goods and services are traded bilaterally each day. a lot of numbers, but all these things speak to the power of trade and its importance not just in my home state of

indiana but the united states of america. i want to further emphasize that europe is by far the largest market for u.s. outbound investments. so i continue to work hard there in conjunction with my colleagues. by one estimate, approximately 15 million workers are employed as a result of transatlantic trade. as for my home state of indiana in 2012, the e.u. purchased goods worth $9.1 billion or 25% of our overall indiana exports and in 2011 hoosier services were worth $2.4 billion, went to the e.u. that's 3 % of hoosier services -- 3.% of hoosier services exports. successful implementation are expected to increase indiana exports to the e.u. by roughly 33% and could boost net employment by up to 13,780 hoosier jobs. currently major indiana exports at e.u. include

pharmaceuticals, aerospace products and parts and medical equipment and supplies. again, i'm a strong advocate of free trade, free markets and i think that trade agreements have the opportunity to strengthen our economy by creating new global markets and supporting existing ones. i encourage all of my colleagues to support the bipartisan congressional trade priorities act so we can further and hopefully finalize many of these ongoing negotiations. and bring final trade agreements before congress for approval. and i once again thank the chairman and happy to yield back. mr. sessions: i thank the gentleman for discussing not only the impact in indiana but with the knowledge that indiana in fact is really a micros could much of what this country -- microcosm of what this country really looks like. you come from a strong base of manufacturing and agriculture and of the heartland of this country that wants and needs to

be economically viable and by growing jobs, which means that you can continue to pay for your schools, you can continue to pay for your roads and bridges, but more importantly, i believe, an innovative opportunity where you are allowed to compete around the globe with your ideas, your products and your services. and i applaud the gentleman not only for his service to the united states military but i applaud you for your service to the people of indiana as you have served so ably during your tenure here in congress and a hearty congratulations. i thank the gentleman very much. mr. speaker, we continue to have republicans who have not only a background in agriculture, in understanding the united states military, which is the world, the world we live in, how america has neighbors and partners all around the world, but also we continue to have people who come once again from the

heartland of this country, who see firsthand how important trade is. they come from agricultural areas, they come from areas that have strong natural resources and reserves that are i'm sure god-given but an opportunity for us as americans to benefit by virtue of living in the greatest nation in the world. and one of those people that sits on our trade team and is perhaps one of the most active and thoughtful members is a young woman from south dakota. congresswoman christie noem has just returned from a trip that she took representing the united states congress and i would defer to the gentlewoman now for her discussion on not only t.p.p. japan, but also agriculture and the things she represents so well. mrs. noem: thank you so much, mr. chairman, for yielding. i want to thank you for the honor of being a part of this group today that is taking -- talking about t.p.p. and the importance of trade in the region. i did have the chance to get

back this morning from a week-long trip in asia, discussing trade and the importance of the t.p.p., transpacific partnership, and the european union trade negotiations. and the ways that we can expand trade that would benefit our economy. the first step to seeing these benefits is -- in these agreements is renewing trade promotion authority. and then we set our goals and our priorities in these agreements. this was a big topic of conversation throughout the week, as we met with leaders from japan, including the prime minister, and south korea and then also with the leaders in china and the people's congress. time and time again america has reaped the benefits of completed trade agreements in our country. for me the profound impacts that we've seen in agriculture are particularly interesting. we've seen an 18% increase in ag exports since we signed the agreement with panama. there's a been a 6% increase in agriculture exports to columbia, since passing trade agreements with those countries. we have also generated new

business in other sectors of the of the economy like manufacturing and the service industry. we've created jobs here at home while benefiting those people across our country and economies abroad and built relationships with them that we certainly reap the benefits for when it comes to foreign policy and security issues as well. in my home state of south dakota, we've seen export support and create jobs and higher wages for our economy. including our state's number one industry, agriculture. currently south dakota agriculture exports total more than $3 billion annually and they support over 20,000 jobs on and off the farm. it's estimated that more than one in five jobs in south dakota depend on international trade. and those plants that thank do export goods pay higher wages, they hire more people and they do it a lot faster than those who don't. soybean, corn, wheat, feed grains and livestock grown in south dakota are already shipped to countries around the world. and we can increase that by growing our access to markets

through free trade agreements. as for working -- as we're working toward trade promotion authority and negotiating trade agreements, i think the enormous benefits that it could have for our country. especially as our economy struggles to recover, increasing exports and trade and markets across the asia-pacific and europe essential. japan is one of those countries that's included in the transpacific partnership talks and is already one of the largest purchasers of u.s. corn and soybean, with a good t.p.p. agreement we can see an increase in grain and livestock exports to japan and the entire region. that would spark economic activity throughout our country as well. of course we need to ensure that we get it done right. and i have asked for assurances from our u.s. trade representative that we won't close this t.p.p. negotiations with japan unless they agree to eliminate trade barriers to agriculture. i appreciate that the bipartisan congressional trade priorities act outlines trade

negotiation objectives. it includes prioritizing agriculture. we need to ensure that food safety and animal and plant health measures are re-- measures and restrictions are based on science. we need to make sure we have an agreement that is fair to our agriculture producers. when i had the opportunity to travel to asia last week and discuss some of the ways that our country and japan and china and others in the region could mutually benefit from trade agreements, i made it very clear how important the ag industry is in finalizing any final trade deal. and some of my concerns that we already had with existing barriers. but we're making progress. and we need to give those who are negotiating some of the agreements in the region the tools that they need to get this job done. this is one of the main topics i heard from leaders involved in these discussions. it's something these leaders see as key to coming to an agreement on these free trade agreements. and it's key to agreeing on how a final deal will impact the

agriculture sector. you know, i think a lot of folks don't realize that japan has the number three economy in the world. behind the united states and canada -- china. if we can finalize an agreement with them, it will set the table for t.p.p. and also for the region on how our discussions go forward with china as well. it will open up new opportunities in china, where 1.3 billion people call home. there is no way that china can continue to feed its own people and will rely on outside sources for their proteins, for their grains to make sure their people are well fed into the future. in fact, some of the discussions that i had with businesses and government officials was the difference between usda beef and united states beef and south dakota beef than what they're currently enjoying today. as incomes have risen in china and people are making more money, they have a desire for more proteins in their diet. today their main source of that protein is from australian beef. but yet every day they ask, when can we get usda beef?

that's what these agreements would bring. not only open markets for us and increase our exports, but bring the chinese people the kind of goods, food and services that they want to enjoy as well. 50% of the people in this world live in that region. it's a market that we can't ignore and that we need to prioritize into the future. we need to take this first step so that we can continue reaping the benefits of trade in south dakota, in the united states and across the world. it's imperative for job growth here at home and for prosperity for all of the countries involved. historically when you looked at free trade agreements with other countries, the prosperity of all the countries involved have risen after those agreements have come forward and been done. and completed. i believe that as we focus on this issue, as we approve t.p.p., as we negotiate agreements that work for all of our countries involved, and we finalize with t.p.a. authority, we will certainly get an agreement that is good for all of our countries and beneficial

to create jobs here in the united states. i thank you, mr. chairman, for holding this discussion tonight and with that i will yield back. mr. sessions: i appreciate very much not only you taking time, congresswoman noem, to be here, to speak with us, but in particular the references that you make to your home state. a state which you represent so proudly and which you not only carry the flag of south dakota with you, but really on behalf of all americans that live not just in rural areas but who every single day get up and go to work to make this country stronger, to take our products and services and goods overseas, to make sure that the agriculture products are clean and the very best products available. i think one of the most you esting things that said was, really the point which we do understand season that is the world thirsts for -- understand and that is that the world thirsts for american-made products. the world understands firsthand how important your industry, your agricultural industry is

in south dakota and throughout the midwest, the very best of not only beef, i did include texas in there, i hope, but the very best of agricultural products that go around the world and then as you travel, to see people thirst for those products. mrs. noem: mr. chairman, if i may, i'd just like to expand on that a little bit. because a lot of our discussions that we had with the prime minister of japan and also with the leadership in china was the fact that not only as we negotiate these trade agreements and our economies are linked, in creating jobs and prosperity for both of us, but it helps our foreign policy as well. we recognize we need our allies to come alongside us, and we know we need china that help keep peace in an area we're focused on, we have had to be a leader of strength to keep peace, and to have trade interactions with the leadership, and people dependent

on us for their food and protein sources, it's going to be beneficial for us today, tomorrow and long into the future if we can continue to do that and make these trade agreements finalized. >> perhaps more important than that is you build a friendship between groups of people who really not only share cities, where we have cities, sister cities that grow up and be born of each other but it's a merging together of america to make us closer with the rest of the world and then our values not only rule of law, of intellectual property, but also i think of the thing that we know most about, trade policies, a tariff is a tax. we are reducing taxes or tariffs and taxes cost on people, products, goods, services and food. that's where i believe agriculture products from america will be king around the world.

mrs. noem: very true. thank you, mr. chairman. mr. sessions: i want to thank the gentlewoman for taking time to join us tonight. mr. speaker, we're also joined by a young man from the very beginning of his time to come here, he was described by his governor as one of the brightest young men in minnesota. erik paulsen is a young man who came to the united states congress congress as a seasoned and ex--- came to the united states congress as a seasoned lawmaker, and i'd like to yield if i can at this time to the gentleman from minnesota, the gentleman from the ways and means committee. i yield to mr. paulsen at this time. mr. paulsen: i thank the chairman for yielding. let me thank the chairman for his leadership not only on the rules committee but for leading the bipartisan fre trade caucus, leading that effort knowing and understanding the value of trade, the value of exports and this is a very important issue,

members. it's good to take time on the floor to talk about this international trade, i will tell you, is a vital part of my economy. minnesota's third congressional district, statewide in minnesota, global trade supports almost 750,000 jobs in minnesota. that's a pretty big number. it's all about exports. 95% of the world's consumers living outside of the united states. despite our economic success -- our successful economic relationships with a lot of countries around the world, there's no doubt that a lot more can be done now. that begins with passing this bipartisan congressional trade priorities act which will renew and update trade promotion authority. why is that important? it's important so we can move ahead and get forward momentum on the t.p.p. and the t-tip negotiations because this ensures we'll accomplish several very, very important goals as part of increasing transparency in trade negotiation and empowering congress, empowering ourselves. this is why there's bipartisan

support. -- support. it will direct the administration to pursue congressional prerogatives objectives. iating open -- we have a very and transparent process with all members of congress and the public and also more importantly, it preserves the congressional prerogatives that are there giving congress the ability to vote and giving final approval to any trade agreements through procedures and providing an up or down vote. our trading partners are looking for that authority to move forward. i want to commend the chairman who had a role in that legislation, the chairman of the ways and means committee, as well as in the senate, making sure the administration will be negotiating a deal that covers the issues that are most important in the day's economy. the reason that's important is because this is not simply about focusing on tariffs. we know that trade negotiations and agreements focus on tariffs. this is about import quotas and

nontraditional barriers to trade. regular traditional barriers are no longer enough. this is about find 21st century solution so we can interconnect regulations across our borders, got the orts, you've transpacific partnership which my colleague from south dakota spoke on, we've got 11 countries and emerging markets but what i'm most interested is is t-dip, transatlantic partnership with our transatlantic friends. we want to make sure that the ongoing gos are going to move forward because the transatlantic economy is our largest in the world, the most integrated in the world, it's 50% of the world's g.d.p., yen rating about $5 trillion in total commercial sales each

year, 30% of global trade. mr. speaker, those are big numbers as well. we've known for years that a trade agreement between the united states and the european union is the right thing to do i remember back in the sum over 2012, i authored a bipartisan letter with 50 different members of congress, bipartisanly supporting such an agreement. last year, we had the launch of the business coalition for transatlantic trade. we had a chance to meet with our ways and means counterpart, introduce a resolution calling for swift action on t-tip and and i mentioned, we launched that t-tip caucus, a chance to move forward significantly. i'll tell you what it means to minnesota. $4.5 billion in minnesota goods are purchased by european countries right now. 42,400 minnesota jobs are supported by european investment annually. if we pass t-tip, it's estimated more jobs will come out of that. that is going to be helping us right here at home. these t-tip negotiations present

a huge opportunity to tackle these nontariff barriers, as i mentioned earlier. regulations that will needlessly impact and increase the cost of trade between the u.s. and europe right now. but you know, everyone knows getting to this agreement is not going to be easy. there are some real differences between our economies and on continents such as the way we approach regulation. but all indications are that the negotiators are moving full ahead. they want to continue to make progress toward the final agreement. the next round of negotiation is set to take place this next month. so we can't get there unless we ass the authority. passing this act is going to make sure we protect intellectual property, setting high standards, other countries will be forced to look at what the united states and the e.u. are doing and we can make sure the bad actors are following our lead by setting high standards. i want to commend you for hosting the time today and i want to thank the chairman again for the opportunity to discuss

trade and the bipartisan congressional trade priorities act and the importance of trade to both our states and the entire country. know it's important to minnesota and our economy back home. i yield back. mr. sessions: mr. paulsen, i want to -- i want you to stick around for a minute, i want to engage you in speaking about what you just said. t.p.a., that's the process, trade promotion authority, whereby congress gives authority to the president of the united states, and then once that is done, the president, through the ambassador, the trade ambassador, goes and they go to the world and there are two different process which is are started now, one in asia, and one essentially that is in europe. and these really offer america a chance to become a better and bigger player in the world and to even get a better deal in working so that the consumers of

the world get a better opportunity. is that really the way you see his working? mr. paulsen: absolutely, that is the way we see it working. this is an opportunity for our countries to engage in a healthy economy and for consumers to benefit on the other side. i know that without a doubt, south korea, panama, colombia are significant trade agreements. they have been languishing on the sidelines for a long time. with bipartisan support we were able to pass them all. now we can show america is back on the playing field. we know the benefits of trade. when i have a chance to visit south korea, they spoke about the costco in south korea and their interest in selling american goods and how that was the number one costco in the world,est -- essentially after the free trade agreement because they want to buy american. it keeps the innovation here at home and sales where the customers are. we can't get to these agreements

unless we get the trade promotion authority which make sure every member of congress is going to have a hand in seing the negotiation process forward to the tune where we've not had that type of involvement among individual mens of congress in the past. this is very important, i think, for congress to exercise its congressional prerogative and at the same time work in partnership moving very important initiatives forward. mr. sessions: continuing our dialogue, and i appreciate the gentleman taking time to do this, but american-made products whether they be manufacturing, whether they be medical instruments, whether they be pharmaceuticals, they all have to go through a really pretty stringent viewpoint from a perspective of regulators who look at things that we have in our marketplace, certainly that travel across state lines, but once these products and services are made available and become generally available in the united states and people learn how to use them, we create a thirst for the rest of the world

to be able to buy our products and there's a figure that we deal with, and i know the gentleman is a strong, strong supporter of our trade working group but essentially 38% of what we manufacture and build our -- and build, our jut put here in the united states, is something that get intoss a trading partnership -- gets into a trading partnership one way or another. almost 40% of the output of the united states is based one way or another off trade, us making sure the rest of the world gets a chance to get those products also, which lowers prices in our country on a per unit basis, perhaps more importantly, keeps our jobs here in the united states. that's got to be good for somebody from minnesota. mr. paulsen: i should mention here, the first trade agreement that offered the opportunity to negotiate on medical devices was the korea free trade agroment recently passed and medical devices is near and dear to my

prevalent in minnesota, these are high-valued manufactured products that are improving lives, saving lives and there's a regulatory scheme that's often surrounding making sure these devices are approved and before they move forward. we have the opportunity, i think now, mr. chairman, with some of these trade agreements moving forward, not only to negotiate the tariffs in making sure the manufactured products are going to be available to others around the world but also lowering costs for our consumers but also the regulatory environment can be set up in a way that we have oversight committees in the e.u. and the united states and we've got a device on track to be approved by the f.d.a. in the united states we can make sure that if our oversight committees agree on the other side of the continent, on the other side of the atlantic, they can sign off on it. you save a tremendous amount of time in moving forward and having those goods be available pretty quickly to a lot of consumers around the world. that's going to help, again, the

economy, it's going to grow jobs and it's going to help patient care around the world. that's one area in particular that minnesota has and will benefit. >> continuing our dialogue, the gentleman sits on this -- mr. sessions: continuing our dialogue, the gentleman sits on this awesome and powerful committee, the ways and means committee, the committee on a regular basis hears from people in the united states who do a lot of business overseas. one of the things which they talk about is intellectual property. rule of law and following contracts to make sure that what you agreed to equally is agreed to by the others. do you mind taking a minute to talk with us tonight about the importance of intellectual property, how the world can capture this idea, and how it can, in fact, increase not only value of products but to make sure that the product which is actually bought and sold is the real product that -- and the company that stands behind it.

do you mind talking about that for a minute? >> this is an area where i think the united states stands out and shibes. if anything we are known for our innovation. it's really part of our d.n.a. in terms of having a patent system that protects intellectual property and the rule of law. there are many countries around the world that don't have those standards. that's where the benefit of trade agreements can bring in high standard agreements so other countries aren't forced to follow those agreements. intellectual property protects the inventions, and the dreamers coming up with those ideas. there are some countries lagging behind. we'ved that us from traces -- frustrations with china where they targeted u.s. information technology, targeted renewable energy, targeted bionarm suit calls and other producters in express purpose of creating he call production opportunities for indian companies, for instance, that's a violation of intellectual property in many respects and having these trade negotiations ensure we keep that

conversation moving forward for having those high standards. that's going to protect the jobs here at home for the dreamers and believers and folks who create and innovate these new ideas and new products. you've got -- you've got unfair and harmful products that are -- practices that are happening in other countries, maybe india, maybe china. that's ultimately going to taj the long-term health of the -- the economic health of both of our economies when we're having that type of situation. mr. sessions: i guess lastly what i'd like to do is engage the gentleman on a broader perspective and that is the idea of american exceptionalism. how we have the greatest military in the world, our united states military, men and women, working together, all around the globe, to make sure that really there's fairness and that our friends and neighbors and allies have an opportunity to live in a free world. but is part of this process

american exceptionalism to where we are able to go and compete anywhere with our fwoods and products and services and to let the world have that advantage? would you mind taking a second and speaking specifically about american exceptionalalism? mr. paulsen: if the rules are even a the rules are set the same, americans can compete and win and help grow jobs here at home. in terms of american exceptionalism, no doubt when you have a free flow of goods, it's going to help our strength and someone who famously said, if goods aren't crossing borders, guns will. having that trade connection is very, very important and helps

us as america lead the rest of the world showing that we are strong. we have two significant trade agreement opportunities being negotiated right now, coming close to conclusion, we can wrap those up. both in the transpacific partnership and the ttip negotiations going on in europe. and all the other countries will follow our lead and this is a huge opportunity for our companies back at home. mr. sessions: i'm thankful and the things that i see that you bring to the table, words and ideas on a regular basis and you talk about we need to make sure we have a stable environment, where good decisions can be made instead of in a vacuum and secondly, grogget. and one of the things that i

read on a regular basis, peeter roth who is with "u.s. news and world report skt growth is important. you have to grow your economy and continue in the hunt to make sure that more and more people buy your products and the next generation comes out also. i thank the gentleman for his leadership and you have a real thoughtful handle on stability and making sure we build great neighbors and have good contracts and great relationships and then the generation and the next generation of goods and services where we can make things even better for the next generation. i want to thank you very much for being here tonight. i know you want to get back to

your office and tell the family the exciting special order you were a part of order today. i'm sure your wife will be very, very excited about that. mr. speaker, we had the opportunity to speak to members of congress who come from the heartland. we have had people who came from indiana, south dakota and minnesota. i'm a texan and i'm from the heartland and from the center of the country. as we talk about what we are attempting do, i think it's important for you to know, mr. speaker, the things which you have led our congress in trying to perform, the strong leadership of john boehner from the very top, in trying to say we need to grow our economy, that part of that jobs creation comes as a result of trade agreements. so, that is why we are here

tonight to talk openly with members of congress and you, mr. speaker, about the need for americans to understand why we must pass trade promotion authority. t.p.a. is a mechanism to begin the starting point whereby we give the administration, whether they be republican or democrat, but we give the president the marching orders in developing trade agreements. we say to the president of the united states, we breeve that growing our economy, we believe that having trade agreements, we believe that having agreements that make things so much easier and better for us to not make sure that agricultural products and other markets become available to us and we understand that as we gaming in this, not only do we want to

grow our marketplace, but the world has an opportunity to reduce the taxes, the trade barriers on their products and services. perhaps we could talk about receiving products that they have back into our country. and the consumer being a winner. we have to worry about environmental protections here in the united states. we believe that we are responsible in what we do, not only in production manufacturing, our day-to-day energy needs, but i think we also see where we could share many products that we have here in the united states. notwithstanding, that we have seen many industry industries, selling our products and services overseas. we talk about intellectual property, intellectual property is not hard to understand.

it is the opportunity to make -- an at if you have a agreement, it might be because you have something you have gotten as a patent or a ientific production, or that idea, that that they give respect not only making a payment or supporting the standard as required by rule of law. market access. market access is so important. it's important that we have the opportunity to make sure that the goods and services which we present to another country, as we enter their ports of entry or customs, that our products and services are to the highest standard that they would be based upon a contract or agreement that as we enter those countries. we would want to make sure that

our products and services were not held at bay by that foreign nation because of some perception about our product or because they were trying to protect their home product, their home base. it opens up markets and gives us market assets. physical goods, to make sure that we would be able to reduce tariffs on all sorts of products, whether it be clothing, whether it be manufacturing, whether it be pharmaceuticals. we need to make sure that the products that are passed are timely and fairly handled, not only in these two two different trade agreements, but it is a good deal for the american person who wishes to go sell, whether it be an agricultural good or physical good that may be manufactured in this country. and lastly, services. services, which i think america

has not only exceled at but we are able to proposal you will debate effective ways of business that people can continue to have a great product and make that product even better, the second, third and fourth generation, a product that will be sold and available under the protections of intellectual property and rule of law. mr. speaker, that is what we are talking about, the marketplace of the world becoming open to american goods and services and america and its consumers imagining that benefit also. t.p.a. ensures that congress proposal you will gates itself having discussions with the administration. you heard the the gentlewoman from from south dakota say she had a discussion with the trade

negotiators and negotiated with them and said here is my understanding about what i think is in america's best interest. she didn't say what was in south dakota's begs interest. she deposit say what was in her own best interest. she looked at a more global perspective and said at looking at this agreement this is a part of what should be included. a and that, mr. speaker, is why this administration, when they do consult with us and ambassador does come up to the hill on a regular basis and we should remember he is an active, intelligent, thoughtful man, who is not just learning his job, t learning the nuances about how he protects america and negotiates what is in our best interest and what is a good deal

for others, our trading partners, to make sure they'll want to take up the goods and services, the exchange, the ideas, the tough things that come from these trade negotiations. so this topic is timely because these two major trade agreements are on the horizon. the world is speaking about ttip and speaking about t.t.p. and the united states is negotiating the transpacific partnership and the discussions that take place in asia are all bout how we can form better, longer-lasting partnerships, whereby the people of their countries and the people of the united states of america better themselves, lowering taxes, getting new products and services and having a chance to

make sure that we become friends in the process. t.t.p. is comprehensive and ambitious and encompasses an ever-growing region. you will recall your days in the united states army and a member of the military where you were a part of other countries that desperately wanted and needed not om goods and services but the tranquility of america and we we could bring to america, the exceptionalism we can bring on to these other people to make life better. bring together 12 countries on both sides of the pacific ocean in hopes of putting traditional barriers away and overcoming those and given a chance to make

sure that the consumer becomes king. of t.t.p. would cover 40% all global output and they would conduct business just as we do in an open, thoughtful and transparent way and we would make sure we reduce tariffs, regulations, while respecting intellectual property. meanwhile and we have heard about this, the european union would create a trade agreement that encompasses about half of the cleeble wealth in the world. in other words, we would be doing business with a region that is larger than the united states of america. we would be trying to ship our goods and services and do business with half of the world's wealth. open markets that would allow them an opportunity to have american-made products.

currently, $2.7 billion is traded daily between the united states and the e.u., which is about 30% of world trade. historic reating this opportunity would mean that we could grow that amount of trade, zpwrow our ability here in the united states to not only have more output and employing more people, but to pay for the next generation of products and services so they continue to meet the needs of others not just here in the united states. combined these two agreements would give american businesses and american consumers unprecedented access to global markets. that is why the republican parties and the members are on the floor tonight. members of the ways and means committee, one member of the agriculture committee and i as

chairman as a result of the chance to have jurisdictional chance in this to be firsthand in these discussions where we can push and discuss how portrayed is and these basic agreements to empower and work with all parts of the united states government. our great young chairman of the ways and means committee is very up to this task and dave camp has been leading not only america with the understanding of what's in our best interest but how we have growth, how we move forward and that is exactly what t.p.a. is all about. so, mr. speaker, i will tell you that we have a plan. we have ideas, which we not only well understand, but what we are trying to make sure is that our membership understands, that we

understand that 38 million jobs are supported by trade. 38 million american workers and that we in 2012, ex ported some timated -- ex supported some goods and -- supported some eight million jobs. these are ideas that move our country and more countries forward but at the same time given its new goods and services on a per-unit basis can drop because we are sharing them with the rest of the world. i want to thank you tonight and members of this united states congress, both republicans and democrats support members of the united states military, as you served your country so ably and we give thanks and pause every

single day to not only the freedoms that we have but to know young machine that served like you that have come back home and have married and beautiful young babies and represent a future in this country to where we believe there is no problem bigger than a solution but by working together under stability of law, intellectual property and growth, that we can continue to lead the world through american exceptionalism and the world can have an opportunity to have that little piece part of america whether it be a great state of texas or a great state from south dakota or perhaps a manufacturing state here in the united states or great state of ohio that said made in america. i thank the speaker. and i yield back.

. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of -- policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from new york, mr. jeffries is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. jeffries: thank you, mr. chairman. i ask that all members be given five days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. r. jeffries: it's an honor and the privilege to stand on the floor as part of the congressional black caucus', c.b.c.'s, special order hour. for the next 60 minutes we'll have an opportunity to speak directly to the american people about an issue of great significance, the growing wealth p in america that is stratified along racial lines. the wealth gap that should concern all of us here in the house of representatives and

certainly people who are concerned about the well being of this country in its entirety should be alarmed by any segment of this country being left behind across any measure of economic status. and we'll get into that throughout the due riggs of the c.b.c. -- through the the duration of the c.b.c. special order. i'll begin by making the observation, certainly i'm glad to bed joined by the distinguished gentleman from -- gentleman from nevada mitigating circumstance good friend and co-anchor of the c.b.c. special order, representative horsford, i'll begin by making the observation that it has often been stated that when wall street catches a cold, communities of color get the flu. we know that in 2008 when the

economy collapsed, plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the great recession -- great depression, wall street had a high fever. and as a result, as one might expect, communities color across the country have been suffering from economic pneumonia. a study that was prepared by the global cent -- the center for global policy solutions illustrates the point that communities of color were hurt the worst by the great recession and have benefited the least as a result of our recovery and so the wealth gap, broadly defined across measures such as home ownership and access to

good-paying jobs, retirement savings, the wealth gap has gotten worse, exacerbated by the andk of the great recession the disproportionate lack of certain communities benefiting from the recovery that has taken place. so these are some of the topics we're going to explore during this special order and i'm pleased that we've been joined by a very distinguished member of the freshman class, my good friend, the gentleman from new jersey, one of the best-dressed members of the house of representatives, surprised today that i do not see him with his classic bow tie but he's the ranking member of the c.b.c. reshman class and in fact, freshman class in the house, i

think he arrived here a little bit early, i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman, mr. payne. mr. payne: i thank the gentleman from new york for that kind introduction and i want to say that we are here tonight for -- on a very serious issue. night's special order is, as so aptly put by the gentleman from new york, feels like pneumonia in a lot of communities that we represent, and i would dare to say that we might even need to call it an epidemic because it has risen to epidemic proportions. mr. speaker, this nation is supposed to be the land of opportunity, the land of equality. we're a nation that says that if you work hard and you do the things you're supposed to do,

and you do everything that we ask you to do, you, too, can be successful and provide a better ife for you and yours. that is the promise of america. unfortunately, too many in this country -- unfortunately, to many in this country this promise has been broken. generation after generation, millions continue to experience generational poverty in this country and this is especially true for people of color. too many of -- too many of the people in the district i represent in new jersey have worked their entire lives, they've endured hard labor, they've worked two or three jobs, they've made minimum wage their entire lives, yet they're still in poverty. the same is true for their

parents before them and their grandparents and their great grandparents. unfortunately, for too many people of color, the opportunities to succeed and move beyond circumstances of poverty are too little and far between. this leads to the wealth gap we see today. and that wealth gap, mr. speaker, is unconscionable. the 21st century, african-americans own just five cents for every dollar of wealth whites own. more than 62% of african-american households do not have the assets in a retirement account. the median income of an african-american is just over $33,000, barely above the poverty line.

an african-american -- and african-americans are less likely to own homes with just 44% of african-americans owning homes compared to 74% of whites. in new jersey alone, the poverty rate has grown to a staggering 28% and many economists believe that this is an understimmings of that -- an underestimation of that number of people falling into poverty. how can those who are crawling just to get by even begin to think about creating wealth for their children or future generations? how can a single mother who works 40 or more hours a week still find herself in poverty? how does she begin to dream about saving for her children's college education or to cey for a home or plan for her

retirement? the simple answer is, they can't. and the racial wealth gap will continue to grow even wider. mr. speaker, there's so much congress can do to change the course of this country and to help those who are working hard and playing by the rules, and mr. speaker, i reiterate, we are talking about people that are working hard and playing by the rules. the priorities we place within our national budget determines whether we strengthen our economy and grow our middle class or whether we create a greater wealth gap between the haves and have nots. this nation has a clear choice, mr. speaker. the ryan republican budget cuts hundreds of millions of dollars in vital education investments, ends the medkear guarantee for seniors and it will cost this

country more than one million jobs next year alone. if that's not bad enough, the ryan republican budget asks working and middle class americans to pay for the thousands of dollars in tax breaks given to the wealthiest among us. that is why in good conscience i annot support such a budget. at this time, when too many people are still desperately struggling to make ends meet, i know that the people in my home state of new jersey deserve better. and the people around the country do as well. i believe that all americans should demand better as well. in contrast, the budget that the democrats and the congressional black caucus have proposed recognizes the dangerous course this country is on and will work to move us forward rather than

divide us deeper. the democratic budget builds ladders of opportunity to grow our middle class by investing in education, strengthening social security and medicare, and protecting the eight million people who are the first -- for the first time who now have access to affordable, life-saving health care. the proposals within the democratic budget would restore the american promise that if you work hard, you can succeed, and not only can you succeed for yourself but you can generate wealth and create a better life for your children and your grandchildren. that is the choice that each member in this congress has to make and it is a choice every american has to make. this choice will determine the direction of this country, not only for this generation but for

generations to come. mr. speaker, it is not a zero sum game. we all can be winners with the right kind of focus and investment. in doing so, we will strengthen this country for future generations. you know, as i stated and made clear, we're talking about people that have played by the rules and worked hard, working 40 hours, 40 hours plus, and still yet find theirselves on the margins. we're not even talking about the hundreds of thousands of citizens that we represent, i represent, that we don't even want to help with programs such as snap anymore. i'm not even talking about the media in this country. i'm talking about the people that play by the rules, that are doing everything that they've

been asked to do in this great nation and still find theirselves on the margins. but we will continue to raise these issues. we will continue to talk to the american people and get them to understand that we cannot continue down the path that we are headed. it is bleak, it is grim, it's a total u-turn, in where this country has gone. i can only think of the statements that have been made by several individuals in this country, that are distasteful and disgusting over the past several weeks. we need to keep the american dream alive for everyone, and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. jeffries: i mr. jeffries: i thank my friend from new jersey for his eloquent

remarks and observations and for pointing out that while we can have disagreements here in this chamber on matters of policy, we should all share the same objective as it relates to making sure that every american has a robust, full, complete access to the opportunity to robustly pursue the american dream. and as this report and the color of wealth summit will illustrate later on this week, that is not necessarily the case right now in america. disparate ave such a wealth in certain communities where the dividing line is race. and it's a wonderful thing that this country is becoming

increasingly diverse. but the reality of the situation communities, the ain -- african-american communities and others of color are locked out, unable to advance economically in the nulls they should because of barriers, institutional and historical that have been erected that we have yet to tear down, that is something that should alarm all of us, because it relates to the ability of america to fulfill its promise as we move forward. i'm pleased that we have been ined by a very distinguished member of the congress, someone who has been a champion on issues of fairness and equality

and justice for all of americans and certainly for the district that he represents in baltimore and maryland, let me yield now to representative cummings. mr. cummings: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i want to thank you and mr. horsford and the congressional black caucus for being here tonight. we are indeed at a critical moment in our country's history. and as i listened to my colleagues talk about the wealth gap, you know, a lot of times when we address these issues, people say the words, here we go again. and almost as if to say, let's just dismiss this issue. this is an issue that is limited

to a limited number of people. but the problem is, as we listen to the things that have been said here tonight, this is not a black problem, this is not a hispanic problem, this is not an american problem. we have to keep in mind that when this kind of gap, these kinds of gaps, what happens is the driving force that makes our economy run is placed in a position where they cannot make the purchases that are necessary. when i say purchases, i'm not talking about purchases of driers, butines and being able to educate their children, whether you can place your children in a position to do better than what you did.

and so what we're talking about s trying to figure out ways to close that gap so that everybody as has been sed to said, when you've got a wealth for hisive or six cents pannings as compared to whites, hat that means is slowly but surely, one party of society is not participating at any reasonable level. how do we address those issues. and i know the black caucus budget goes in that direction. one of the things i have concentrated on is the loss of wealth with regard to property.

african-americans and hispanics, quite often, their wealth is tied up in property. and over the past few years, we have seen a tremendous loss of that wealth. and you talked a little bit rlier about how when america has a goal -- is that what you said -- we have pneumonia. and what has happened, disproportionately, african-americans and hispanics have lost a lot of that wealth in property because they have lost that property. and when they lost that property, they no longer had collateral to make business loans, to even get loans for their kids or do the things that they really wanted to to do to

make their lives better. just as significantly, they had -- they were lieuing jobs at the same time. o you have a situation where a lot of his pan is and african-americans were trying to help their relatives. so not only were they losing their houses, but whatever savings they might have had, the extra income they could have put aside for a rainy day or an effort to create some wealth, was disappearing. and then we have had some major settlements with regard to the mortgage lenders. and they have admitted through the settlements that they wronged a lot of people. in my city of baltimore, there were certain mortgage companies that admitted that they were

pushing people into sub-prime situations that they could have done even better. and these were african-americans, by the way and giving them loans and people lost all they had. so the question now becomes with two major settlements, what do they get? and as we are doing our research and looking at some of this, what we have noticed is that a lot of people who suffered the oss most, got the least out of settlements. what we are trying to do is study the settlements that have been resolved to learn from those so future settlements, monies will go to the people that were actually harmed. that is one area.

but again, we have got to do everything in our power to close this gap. this is our watch. we are here today. we are the ones who must guard the progress that has been made. but surely, we have seen some of that progress gone in the opposite direction go in a downward spiral. we have to make sure that not only, not only do we stop that slide for african-americans and hispanics, if we stop the slide there, then the entire economy does well, then all of us do well. and that's what it's all about. this is so important. mustst be the voice and we constantly pound the drums,

because so often i think what happens -- and i'll close on this -- people see things going in the opposite direction and they say i'll get to it tomorrow or wait until another day or maybe somebody else will speak about it. nobody does anything. nobody says anything, and the 10 years you know, have passed, 20 years have passed and you say, wow, there was a lot of slipage there. you know what? that slipage represents people. i heard congressman payne talk about people in his district and congressman horsford, these are people, these are people we represent, they get the early

combuss, the ones who try to make it possible for not only their children but grandchildren to do well. i thank you and yield back. mr. jeffries: i thank the gentleman from maryland for his thoughtful observations and if we can find a way to make sure that collectively the african-america caven community gap lifted and close the against the measurements that is home ownership or retirement, security, savings accounts, whatever the case may be, if we can close this gap that exists, that america overall benefits, particularly as we become a more diverse country. now 50 years ago, president

johnson came to this very floor on a joint session of congress poverty, andwar on a result of this legislative ack, there were several things that were put into place that have benefited americans overtime, medicare, medicaid, head zart, school breakfast program, the food stamp act, job corps, college work study, all of these programs were part of the effort to create a great society. and over the last 50 years, significant progress has been made. tens of millions of americans have been lifted out of an impoverished condition on the pathway to the middle class. there is still a long way to go. the middle class broadly defined

has taken a huge hit in the aftermath in the collapse of the economy. that has impacted communities of color and the african-american community and we are here to shed the fact that in our humble opinion, that is bad for america as a hole. i'm pleased that my good friend and co-anchor of this c.b.c. special order has joined us, the distinguished the gentleman from from the silver state who has worked hard on behalf of the district that he represents, let me now yield to congressman horsford. mr. horsford: i would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from new york, mr. jeffries, for his leadership and

for co-anchoring this hour and the congressional black caucus and attention on the important and pressing matter as the issue of the delin of opportunities for millions of americans. askedow, so often, people the question, why do you have to talk about race? why do you have to raise issues the context of the zs proportionate atlanta of issues as it applies to race? and if there is any question about why that is the need or why is l the need to do that, the events over the last week and the comments by individuals over the last week indicate why these issues are still so

prevalent in our country. they talk about the original sin being slavery in this country and the fact that so much of the disparate treatment is based on color and issues that are so pervasive in a number of different areas. and for me, it's necessary, because i represent an area that's very diverse. my district is home to bundy, the rancher that's received so much national attention, not just because of the issues around his use of public lands, even though he had failed to pay the grazing fees and was prohibited from being on that land, but because of the racist,

hate-filled words he talked about pertaining to african-americans. the fact that he said that people didn't take the time to understand his way of life in a town in nevada's fourth congressional district, but yet he would profile another community, based on the fact that he just drove by and looked and observed their situation and then judged and made the judgment that maybe they were better off under slavery. or maybe it's the recent remarks by the owner of the l.a. a pers, the fact that in private conversation, he would talk about what his true feelings are about the people who have made him such a wealthy

individual, and yet it's that hate-filled, racist view that we're here to expose today. and so when we talk about opportunity, it is fundamental, it is a fundamental tenet of our great nation and we are still trying to live up to that ideal of an equal opportunity for every individual system of just like i advocate for constituents who live out in bunkerville and mesquite and virgin valley as part of my congressional district and rural areas, that may not have a lot of diversity, just as they're concerned with the armed militias still in their community, tonight, and i have spoken up and asked law enforcement agencies to help remove those armed militias from that local community who just want to return to normal, i'm also here to speak up for

communities throughout my district that are very diverse, that have latino communities and african-american and asian-american communities that are faced with this opportunity gap issue that we're here to talk about. and this is not a one-way conversation that we're having. we want to invite those of you who are watching on c-span or those of you who are following #cbctalks to at get involved in the conversation, tweet us your comments about what this opportunity gap means to you. because the ability to work hard and achieve success no matter what part of society that you were born in, this is what has produced the world's largest middle class and has propelled all of us to be the most powerful and wealthy country in

the world. it has also been an economy that works for everyone and that grows wealth from the middle out, that has produced our country's most pross plus times and that's what we're here to defend tonight in this conversation. but in the past two decades in particular and particularly during our nation's recovery from the great recession, as my colleague mr. jeffries illuminated, the promise of opportunity is not materializing for millions of americans. and it's not because these individuals don't want that opportunity, it's not because there's a lack of willingness or hard work on behalf of individuals, the question is, what is keeping so many people from that same opportunity? more and more americans are falling out of the middle class

and into poverty, while those in poverty are unable to climb beyond the first rung of the economic ladder. just last week we learned from "the new york times" that no america -- that america, excuse me, no longer has the wealthiest middle class in the world. following -- falling behind our neighbors to the north, canada. this should not come as a shock to anyone, given the troubling economic trends of the past decade or so. we have to recognize that these income inequalities and a shrinking middle class is a crisis for our nation and one that will not go away if we do not act. in fact, it's a crisis that will only grow worse and will ultimately catch up to our ability to sustain our position as the world's wealthiest country. now, as my colleague, the

ranking member, mr. cummings just said, it's not an easy crisis to solve and no single policy will address all the factors that are contributing to the growing opportunity gap. but one issue i want to speak to -- speak about specifically is the fact that experts have consistently and nearly universally identified the area that will go the furthest in providing expanded opportunities for all. and that is education. and particularly early education. positive social and cognitive development starts very early and children who are encouraged to actively learn starting from when they are as young as 3 or 4 years old experience tremendous long-term benefits. research also shows that high quality early childhood

education can provide children from poor, working class backgrounds with the -- with a similar early learning experience as children from wealthier backgrounds. why is this important? the enrollment and garage weags rates by race matter. belongse individuals who to the asian american community, they have the highest graduation rate at nearly 70%. among the white population it's about 62%. among the latino community it's 51%. but for african-americans, according to the 2005 cohort, we have just a 39.9% graduation rate compared to enrollment. if we're going to change these

statistics, we have to start at the beginning and that's an investment in education, in early childhood education. we can't do that by supporting the budget by paul ryan, congressman paul ryan which would cut investments in head start, which we know greatly help all children develop social and cognitive skills that they otherwise might not receive at home. in addition to early education investment, it's critical that we invest in our middle schools and high schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and to be prepared to go to college and ultimately graduate with a college degree. still to this day, schools are not even close to receiving equal amounts of funding and that's why groups such as the children's defense fund talk about, be careful what you cut, and that our budgets reflect our

values. that if we don't invest properly in education at early childhood education, then we're not going to get the type of return on investments and improved outcomes through high school graduation and college. low income african-american students in particular suffer the consequence from these circumstances. if i could talk about this chart for just a moment dealing with the access to a full range of courses in math and science and among the white, asian, latino and african-american pop leags again this is an issue of access. if students aren't being exposed to curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math, then they're not going to be able to learn or perform or graduate in these areas.

in this chart, we see an incredibly reduced rate for african-americans when it comes to math and science courses. only 57% of african-american students had access to a full range of math and science courses. these are subjects that have major impacts when it comes to college readiness and achievement scores on standardized testing. now in my home state of nmbings -- of nevada, the garage weags rate discrepancy between white students and students of color is striking. 72% for whites, 57% for latinos, a staggeringly low 48% for african-americans. nevada's high school graduation rate is the lowest in the nation. today they just released their most recent graduation, high school graduation statistics for every state in the country and nevada was at the bottom.

it contributes greatly to our state receiving the lowest opportunity score in the country by opportunity nation, which factors in economic, educational and community conditions that affect people's abilities to succeed and climb the economic ladder. if we don't address education and investment in education, then we are never going to really be table truly close this wealth gap that exists. that's why the c.b.c. and the democratic alternative budget both propose investing billions of dollars, in fact, reinvesting, because under the budget that -- budgets that were passed when we were in the majority in this house, the funding was there for school and training of our teachers to properly address the growing opportunity gap between high income and low income students but under the g.o.p. here in the house, they slashed those budgets. t's time for us to reinvest.

the republican budget ignores the long-term opportunity gaps that arise in our nation's low income schools, it would pull the rug out from under as many as 3.4 million disadvantaged students and 8,000 schools across the country. it cuts 29,000 teachers and acher aides, educating disadvantaged students by 2016. the g.o.p. budget cuts 170,000 children out of head start, as i said. so it's pretty clear to me that the differences between the house republican budget and the democratic priority and when it comes to investing and providing opportunities to the next generation of middle class workers but it starts with education. that's why we need to fulfill that promise of opportunity for all and allow those who work

hard and who play by the rules to climb that economic ladder and to achieve economic stability in their lives. no longer living paycheck to paycheck. i yield back to the gentleman. mr. jeffries: i thank my good friend for that very comprehensive presentation and in particular for focusing on the importance and significance of investing in education in order to create a bright future for everybody. certainly, we cannot continue to allow so many people across this country to find themselves trapped in a dysfunctional public school system that essentially dooms them to life sentences of disadvantaged -- disadvantage and despair and fails to adequately prepare them for the challenges of the 21st century economy. we're here today talking about the racial wealth gap in america

and invariably there will be some commentator who is going to make the observation, there they go again. members of the congressional black caucus taking to the house floor, speaking about race. actually it's not that frequent an occurrence, but we're compelled to do so today. as my good friend made the observation, who should we allow to talk about race in america? should we just leave it to paula deen to talk about race in america? does that reflect positively on this great country? bundy to just allow talk about race in america? does that paint our country in the best possible light? or should we just leave it to donald sterling to talk about race in america? does that reflect the views of the great many good hearted people across this country?